Life is a Bowl of Cherries
by serenitysea
Summary: After 16 years, Memphis Raines moves back to Long Beach and tries to change escape his past – without success. But things are different this time. This time, he’s got a daughter. And she makes some very interesting friends at her new school.
1. Prologue

**Life is a Bowl of Cherries******

**Prologue******

PG-13 Serenity Sea 

**(****Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com****)****   
****  
  
**

**Author's notes**: For this story to work, I need to change the ages of the characters. When Memphis first started boosting, he was 18. Sway was 17, Donny was 20, and Sphinx… who knows how old he is. Memphis and Kip are four years apart. When Memphis came back to get Kip out of trouble, he was 21. That makes Sway 20, Donny 23, and Kip and his crew 17, except for Toby, who for the movie timeline is 15, soon to be 16. Still with me? Good. So, _16 years later_, Memphis: 37, Sway: 36, Donny: 39, Kip, Tumbler, Freb and Mirror are all: 33. And Toby is 31. I hope you followed that. 

For some reason, I got this idea and I wanted to follow through on it. Instead of taking a traditional route, however, I altered it somewhat and made it my own thing. 

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own any of the GI60S characters and if I said I did, I think that's bunches worse than "using an aerosol can in a way other than directed." Castleback would be all over me. 

**DISTRIBUTION:** You want it, you can have it. Just let me know where it's going.

**Summary**: After 16 years, Memphis Raines moves back to Long Beach and tries to change escape his past – without success. But things are different this time. This time, he's got a daughter. And she makes some very _interesting_ friends at her new school. 

Join the update list and the message board. 

**Message Board**: http://pub64.ezboard.com/bseaofserenity/

**Update List**: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/serenity_sea_updatelist/ 

Thank you, 

Serenity Sea 

*** 

For 16 years, Randall Raines had traveled across the US, flitting from coast to coast. The longest amount of time he'd spent in one place was New York, because getting lost in Manhattan was a cake job. For two years, he and his family had stayed there, and they were happy. But someone came sniffing too close to their history and so they'd hightailed it out to Reno.

For the most part, he adjusted to the frequent change of address well. As long as there was a roof over his head and he could provide for his family, he was satisfied. 

Kip and Tumbler, who'd joined up with him for reasons of their own, pretty much adopted his point of view. But out of their small "family" of four, the one who didn't like their constant moving was, in this case, the most important. 

His daughter. 

Sage Raines didn't take especially well to switching her life around every seven months. For one thing, it meant making new friends and trying to adjust to new schools, but it also meant she could never get close to anyone. And that made her a bit of a loner. 

The medium-sized brunette with eyes the color that earned her name, was not a shy person. But she had a chip on her shoulder, and eventually grew sick of trying to please everyone so she'd finally stopped. She started skipping school, her grades dropped, she hung out with the wrong crowd, dabbled in some hard liquor (not that she ever _drank_ any of it, but her father didn't need to know that) and got her belly button pierced.

For her father, that was the last straw. 

The next day, she came home from school – that day she'd actually _gone_ – to find her entire room full of boxes. All her things were missing and the boxes were everywhere. In the kitchen, the living room, and, when she checked, in her father's bedroom and even the bathrooms. 

She was about to ask her uncle just what in the hell was going on, when her father, whom she very rarely saw, came down from the attic and smiled at her funnily.

"Pack your things," he'd said, with a funny glimmer in his eye. "We're moving to Long Beach." 

And so her journey had begun. 


	2. Chapter 1

Life is a Bowl of Cherries

**Chapter 1******

PG-13 

**Serenity Sea******

**(****Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com****)**  
  
  


**Author's notes**: Ages are as follows: 

**Memphis**: 37

**Sway**: 36

**Donny**: 39

**Otto**: somewhere around his late 50's to mid-60's.

**Sphinx**: ??

**Kip**: 34

**Tumbler**: 34

**Freb**: 34

**Mirror**: 34

**Toby**: 31 

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own any of the GI60S characters and if I said I did, I think that's bunches worse than "using an aerosol can in a way other than directed." Castleback would be all over me. 

**DISTRIBUTION:** You want it, you can have it. Just let me know where it's going. 

**Summary**: After 16 years, Memphis Raines moves back to Long Beach and tries to change escape his past – without success. But things are different this time. This time, he's got a daughter. And she makes some very _interesting_ friends at her new school. 

Join the update list and the message board. 

**Message Board**: http://pub64.ezboard.com/bseaofserenity/

**Update List**: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/serenity_sea_updatelist/ 

Thank you, 

Serenity Sea 

*** 

"I don't see why we have to move to Long Beach," Sage complained.

She was up in Kip and Tumbler's over-the-garage apartment, and recounting her newest tale of woe. Since they didn't always eat dinner as a family, and Kip need to be on 'the up and up' with his niece, he started her in the habit of telling him how her day went as soon as she got home from school. At first, it was annoying, and she resented it greatly. Sage thought it was a huge invasion of privacy – it was _her_ day, dammit, and maybe she didn't _want_ to share it – but soon she took it for granted and now it was just another part of her daily routine.

Unfortunately, at dinner the past few nights, she had expressed the same view. 

Kip poked his head out of a closet and tossed some things onto the bed where she was stretched across. "Fold those," he ordered, and then ducked back into the closet. Voice muffled, he attended to her comment, "We're moving to Long Beach because that's where your dad wants us to go." 

Sage rolled her eyes and folded two tee-shirts expertly. "Whatever. I want to go somewhere fun, like Hawaii. _That_ would be **awesome**." 

"I'll let him know that, kiddo," a deep voice came from the stairs. Sage turned to see Tumbler enter the room with his arms full of boxes. 

Tumbler hadn't changed in 16 years. He was still well built, handsome, and—slightly—dumb. But everybody loved him and he roomed with Kip, thereby making him the fourth member of the house, so they overlooked his few moments of ignorance. In fact, Sage often thought, if she were older or he was younger, they would make a really great match. 

He was pretty much everyone's favorite older brother. He teased her, and got her out of trouble with Kip—who mostly watched her since her dad was busy with work—and made sure she ate a sufficient amount of junk food. Because of him, she up to date on all the latest swear words and cool phrases and in return, she promised to ask her friends if they had any "hot older sisters." 

"Would you?" She asked, rising to snatch a box from his arms and starting to pack more of her uncle's shirts in it. "Because I really think he picks the lamest places on the planet. At least New York was cool. Why couldn't we stay there again?" 

Kip, who's head was visible again as he tossed more shirts to his niece, exchanged a glance with Tumbler. "Uhm, because it was too dangerous for you. It's not like we could walk you to school every morning and there was some pretty bad shi—stuff goin' down there." 

Her eyebrows raised. "Guys, you _can_ curse around me. It's not like I don't hear it at school." 

"Well maybe _that's_ why I pulled us out of New York, sweetheart." 

Sage jumped and saw her dad leaning in the doorway. At 37 years old, he didn't look half bad, and she knew it. All her friends' moms' were always talking about him. Tall, medium-haired like hers, and piercing blue eyes made up the package that was Randall Raines. For some reason, she always thought he would look better in leather, but he stuck to jeans and oxford shirts these days, so she assumed she had inhaled too much smoke by accident. 

He came to sit on the bed next to her. "I know this is hard for you, but I _promise_ this is the last move we'll ever make." He grabbed her around the waist and squeezed her tightly. 

"For real? You're not kidding?" 

"Swear." 

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and hugged him back. Then she pulled away to look in his eyes. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Dad." 

He smiled. "I know." 

Without warning, Tumbler and Kip launched themselves on the bed and yelled, "GROUP HUG!" Sage was squashed between the three men in her life and she loved it. This was how her family was supposed to be. This was the way her life was supposed to go. 

She could only hope it would stay that way in Long Beach. 

*** 

(Two and half weeks later.) 

The room looked like a bomb had gone off. Shirts were all over the place, pants were hanging half on hangers, half off. Her bed wasn't made and there was junk everywhere. All the drawers to her dressers were open and what scant clothing she had managed to put away from the move was also draped precariously over the edge. 

She stood in the center of chaos, dressed only in a pair of low-rise jeans and her bra. Any minute now, Kip would be yelling up to her, telling her that she was going to be late for her first day at her new school, that she was going to miss her breakfast, and that he didn't care what the hell she was doing up there, she had better get her ass down here or there wasn't going to _be_ a first day of school. 

A knock on the door was her only warning before Tumbler burst in. "Sage, you better get down there. Kip's gonna have a cow and I'm don't think you want to see him give birth to the new Big Mac." He closed the door. 

Sage fell back onto her bed with a loud groan. The door opened again and she sat up. "What?!" 

Tumbler whistled. "Nice bra." 

She reached for the pillow beside her and threw it at his head. He chuckled and left the room again. 

For a minute she just sat there, looking over things in her room with a calculating gleam in her eye. Then, like a panther, she leaped over to her desk and started to go through the things in her chair. While she was wildly tossing things over her shoulder, Kip walked in. 

He opened his mouth to speak and she accidentally tossed a pair of clean underwear on his head. Slowly, he reached up and pulled the panties down, as a low growl formed in his throat. 

Sage gradually stopped her frenzied searching and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened dramatically and she reached into the pile one more time, emerging victorious with a bell-sleeved dark green shirt. She pulled it on over her head, grabbed the well-used book bag that was resting innocently by the doorway, and scooted past her irate uncle to scarf down her omelet. 

Kip counted to 10 and prayed for strength, then headed after his niece, who was going to be in a _world_ of hurt when he was through with her. 

"I swear on the hood of my Porsche, Sage, if you are late to school this morning, I am going to _beat you_." 

She nodded and furiously continued forking egg in her mouth. Five bites later, the plate was clean and she'd chased the egg down with a glass of orange juice. "Let's go." 

*** 

"Okay, now you know to refer to us all by our real names. No Memphis for your dad, and it's gotta be Tommy for Tumbler. Don't mention that you rarely see your father, and that you've moved 17 times in your life. They'll find that out on your transcripts, and I really don't think that's something you need to announce to your class. Also—" 

"Uncle Kip! I _know_. I'm could write the book on this." She reached in the back of the sports car for her book bag and threw her head forward to tousle the waves in her hair. "I'll see you at 2." She kissed him on the cheek and exited the car. 

Kip waited until she was safely inside the front doors before peeling away from the curb. He dialed a number on his cell-phone and spoke into it. "I just dropped her off. So far, so good." 

*** 

Sage glanced down at the schedule in her hand and up at the door. Yep. This was definitely her first class. English. What fun. 

Tumbler would tell her to stop being such a freakin' wussy and go in _already_, so she hesitantly pushed the door open and stepped into the classroom. Immediately, all conversation stopped. The room was silent. 

A young woman, with very dark brown hair and light green eyes looked up from her notes. "Come on in. You must be Sage, our new student. I'm Ms. Nichols, by the way." 

She nodded and walked to the center of the room. "Where should I sit?" 

The teacher looked up again and gave her classroom a look. "Um… Why don't you take the seat in front of Jesse and then we'll continue with our lesson. I don't believe in that embarrassing "Introduce yourself in front of the class" crap." 

Sage took a seat near the back of the class, in front of a handsome African American boy, her shoulders slumped gratefully. Even though she'd done it countless times, standing up and introducing herself to new classmates seemed like an obscure form of torture employed only by teachers who had no hobby but to make their students miserable. 

Ms. Nichols smiled at her. "You guys, this is Sage Raines. She comes to us from Reno, and now **we** are going to keep learning about _Beowulf_. If you have any more questions, kindly direct them to Sage herself, _after class_." 

There was a collective groan and as she pulled a binder out of her bag to take notes, she was glad this was her first class. It was obvious this Ms. Nichols had a cool relationship with her students and that they loved her just as much. 

The class went by pretty quickly after that. She scrawled some nonsense about Grendel and the meaning the book had for her life today and then the bell had rung. Her next class was gym and she'd passed it on her way in, so she didn't stay to talk to anyone. 

On her way out the door, however, Ms. Nichols stopped her. "Sage?" 

She walked back into the room and stopped at her desk. "Yeah?" 

"I just want you to know that if I don't know a student's parents through school games or class trips or something, I usually send a letter home to set up a conference. I didn't want you to be worried or anything when you got one in the mail later this week." 

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks. My uncle, for some reason, gets very hyper about those sorts of things and I'm sure he'll appreciate your doing so." 

The darker brunette had a confused look on her face. "Your uncle? Is he your legal guardian?" 

"No, he just lives with me and my dad. But my dad usually doesn't have time for my school-related things. I barely see him. So my uncle and his best friend have pretty much raised me all my life. He always goes to my parent-teacher conferences, too." 

Ms. Nichols looked dubious. "Okay, if you say so. But I really _would_ like to meet your father, Sage." She looked at the clock. "Shi--oot. I think I just made you late to your next class. Hold on a sec, I'll write you a pass." 

Sage took it with an inward grin. _It wasn't everyday that a teacher slipped like that._ "Thanks. Showing up late on the first day is not a way to score points with the teachers." 

Her teacher watched her as she exited the room and frowned. "A father she never sees, her transcripts indicate she's changed schools 13 times… What has this girl _been_ through? And her name is Raines. God, I have a weird feeling about this." 

*** 

Gym went well and she headed off to Lab Chem, where she was once again, paired up with Jesse. She basically took notes the entire period and her hand was about to fall off when she left class. 

After Chem was Trig—not something she was looking forward to—_at all_. 

The teacher waited for all the students to sit and then pointed out the only available seat… which was in front of Jesse. 

When their teacher faced the blackboard and started lecturing, she felt movement behind her and moments later, shivered when she felt his breath on her neck. "I'm sensing a pattern here." 

"You're not the only one," she muttered, hoping he didn't hear her. 

"Mr. Castleback! Miss Raines! Does there seem to be a problem here?" But unfortunately, the teacher had. 

Sage slid down in her seat and wished a very painful injury on this woman. But from behind her, Jesse spoke up. "Not at all, Mrs. Clark. We were just discussing Sage's schedule. Since she's a new student and all, I offered to help her. Turns out we have nearly every class together. How's _that_ for a first day of school gift?" 

The teacher looked somewhat bewildered. "Yes, well… _Linear equations_…"

When she turned back to the board, Sage whirled around in her seat and glared at him. "Are you nuts? She's going to kill us!" 

His brown eyes twinkled and he tapped her on the nose playfully. "She will if you don't turn around, or my name isn't Jesse Castleback." 

He left her to ponder his level of sanity and the strange feeling she got when she was near him. _Hey, I wonder if Kip knows Jesse's dad?_'

***

That's all for now! The real stuff comes in the next few chapters. REVIEW!!!


	3. Chapter 2

Life is Like A Bowl Of Cherries  
  
Chapter 2 PG-13 Serenity Sea (Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
The sound of plates being passed and the ceramic hitting the table was the only noise for some time. Then, cardboard scraping cardboard hit the air and the scent of pizza assailed their senses. For the next few minutes, each family member was engrossed in inhaling has much pizza as they could.  
  
Finally, when they had broken for air at about the same time, Memphis looked across the table at his daughter. "How did school, go, honey?"  
  
She looked up at her father, confused. "It went fine. Why? Did you think it wouldn't?"  
  
"No. I never said that."  
  
Her lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Yeah. That's what I thought." Her chair shoved back from the table and she jumped up and ran from the room. The sound of her door slammed and Memphis closed his eyes defeatedly. He pushed back his own chair-  
  
"No." Kip said from his place at the table. "Eat your pizza. Give her a few minutes to cool off. Then I'll go talk to her."  
  
Memphis looked at Tumbler for guidance, who nodded regretfully, agreeing with his best friend. He sighed and then moved back in closer to the table to his place.  
  
Across from him, Kip continued to eat his pizza at a slow pace, alternating every few bites with a swing of beer. About 10 bites later, he stood up and grabbed his plate to put it in the sink. "Tumbler - it's your turn to wash the dishes for Sage."  
  
Without another word to his brother, he left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Three hours later, Kip came back emerged from Sage's room with red eyes. "God, Mem, I don't know what you did to piss her off.... but you sure did a good job off it."  
  
Memphis watched the figures dance across the screen, registering Kip's words. "She's too much like her mother, Kip. Being around Sage... was like being around *her*. I couldn't take it."  
  
"So you let her fade from your life?" Kip asked incredulously, and his tone was one of having had this conversation many times before.  
  
"It hurt, Kip," He said tiredly. "And by the time it stopped hurting, it was too late. She was too used to you and Tumbler. She didn't need me in her life."  
  
The younger brother thought of his own father, how he'd felt after he died, and shook his head. "You always need a father in your life."  
  
Memphis sighed deeply. "I've tried to make it better, you know I have. But it's too late. The time for that has come and gone. She has got so many defensive walls when it comes to me, I wouldn't even know where to start. I don't know my own daughter," he turned to Kip with soulless eyes, "and she doesn't want to know me."  
  
Kip bit his lip to keep from blurting out what would only get them into an even bigger argument and started to walk out of the room. He paused in the doorframe. "You need to call them."  
  
Memphis closed his eyes painfully, acceptingly. "I know."  
  
With that said, Kip left the room and Memphis to his thoughts and the muted TV set. Calling them or not wouldn't change the fact that his daughter was a stranger to him. It would only open up more of the past that he'd tried to hard to protect her from, and he didn't know if he-or she-was ready for that yet.  
  
Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.  
  
* * *  
  
Sage looked down at the text message on her phone and closed her eyes in resignation. It was from Kip and it said to get a ride home because he was in a meeting and wasn't going to make it.  
  
That wouldn't have been too much of a problem - she'd made friends fast - except it was nearly an hour after dismissal and anyone she knew in detention didn't get out for another 45 minutes. Everyone else had left.  
  
One saving grace was that she was wearing her leather boots and not a pair of strappy shoes as she tended to on occasion. With a sigh, she shifted her bag and started walking away from the school.  
  
* * *  
  
He slammed the phone down in frustration. "Unbelievable! She's had a cell phone since she was ten; you'd think by now that she'd pick it up when someone calls."  
  
Kip Raines was upset. Actually, that was an understatement. He'd called home nearly an hour ago and Sage hadn't answered. She hadn't answered her cell phone either, and it was usually attached to her. Knowing his niece the way he did, she'd probably gotten the message late and was doing something stupid like trying to walk home. She wasn't that dumb, was she?  
  
Groaning, he got up from his desk and called for Tumbler through the open door. They would have to sort this mess out themselves or Memphis would never forgive them. He was fiercely protective of his daughter, for all his not showing it.  
  
Tumbler stopped in front of the Kip's slouched form, breathing heavily. "What's up?"  
  
Kip looked furtively for any sign of Memphis and then explained the situation.  
  
Tumbler's eyes got bigger and bigger until they were the size of dinner plates. He cursed angrily and then looked at Kip. "She's not that stupid, right?"  
  
He shot him a slanted look. "Let's hope not."  
  
* * *  
  
Now she was in some seedy part of town and had to face the fact that she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. After two weeks of having Kip drive her to school, she knew the route with her eyes closed. Which didn't account for her current status of being lost without a clue, but the way things were in her life these days - *Dad* - it didn't surprise her.  
  
Streetlights flickered on above her as the sun continued its slow descent and shadows became longer. Sage looked around and recognized the Quik-Mart as the one in the center of town. She suddenly felt a bit more confident and sure of her surroundings.  
  
A pair of bright high beams settled on her and then moved as the car turned down the street. She was aware of it following her at a slow pace until she stopped - a stupid, *stupid* thing to do, one thing Kip and Tumbler had beaten into her head after a bad incident in Manhattan - and turned to face the car with her hands on her hips.  
  
"Are you following me for a reason, or just cause you have a seriously perverted mind?"  
  
The driver in the sleek sports car leaned over the passenger's seat, remaining hidden from view. "I just like to cruise the boulevard. You sorta remind me of someone I used to know."  
  
Knowing what she was about to do was something she was never, ever supposed to do, under any circumstances whatsoever, Sage closed the distance between herself and the car until her legs brushed the polished silver exterior and she could see the black leather seats. Leaning with her arms resting on the open window, with her head peering inside, she asked, "Oh yeah? Who's that?"  
  
Up until this time, she didn't know the African American race could lose the color in their face as easily as she did, with her startlingly pale skin. The young man with reflective sunglasses on - she could easily see him now - fumbled with the handle and the door fell open.  
  
"Get in the car," he said, his voice shaky.  
  
Sage's eyes widened incredulously. "No way!"  
  
"Get. In. The Car." She started to move away and he said firmly, "*Now.*"  
  
She looked heavenward for strength and prayed he wouldn't kill her, then slid her bag higher onto her shoulder and got into the car, wondering what in the world was possessing her to get into the car with a stranger.  
  
* * *  
  
Memphis strolled into Kip's office with a smile on his face. "Kip! I just got a call from Ms. Nichols, Sage's homeroom and English teacher," he took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack, "and she said Sage is doing excellent in her classes." When there was no answer, he turned around, "Kip?"  
  
His brother wasn't at his desk.  
  
Ten minutes later revealed that he was not in the cafeteria, the gym or the parking lots. He had to be, as he walked away from the office that now belonged to Tumbler - which was not surprisingly empty - *with* Tumbler. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him.  
  
Except it was nearly 4:30, Kip and Tumbler were both gone. They didn't leave their offices unless one of them had to pick up Sage or run an errand of some kind; they believed in staying until closing.  
  
Bu they didn't close until 6. And he was worried.  
  
* * *  
  
The ride was silent and it was all Sage could do not to grab the wheel herself and pull them over to the side of the road, demanding where the hell he was taking her. Of course, that would be bad, because she wasn't too great at evasive maneuvers, and for all she knew he could have a lead pipe in the back and was just waiting for the right time to use it.  
  
'That's not likely,' her ever-logical mind reasoned. 'After all, why would he go through all the trouble of making you get in the car if all he wanted to do was knock you out? He's older than you; he could have easily chased you down if it was necessary. Besides. People who dress in neon yellow FUBU outfits aren't usually serial killers. Serial killers try to blend in with the crowd and this guy obviously wants to stand out in a big way.'  
  
The signs on the road that she recognized became fewer and farther in between and she started to worry. "Where are you taking me?"  
  
He seemed hesitant to look at her again, and she wondered what exactly had him so shook up. "Somewhere safe."  
  
Her eyebrows arched high. "Are we in danger or something?"  
  
"More than you could possibly imagine," he answered her seriously and she felt a chill skitter down her spine.  
  
Still, she wasn't going to take this vague reply for an answer and shifted in her seat to look more closely at him. He was about Kip's age, she guessed, and rather slim. Judging from how he sat in the bucket seats, he was also a bit on the short side, though you really couldn't tell since he more than compensated that with his choice in clothing. The sunglasses were still on, despite the sun having gone down 20 minutes ago, and she wondered what color eyes he had and how he could still see the road in front of them.  
  
He drove very well, with an ease that she standard with the men in her family and she knew that regardless of the make or model, he could have driven a 20-year-old Volkswagen the same involved way.  
  
"Do you at least have a name?" Sage demanded in a tone thinly laced with impatience.  
  
* * *  
  
He cast a glance over at her again, daring to rest his eyes a second longer than necessary, wanting to reassure himself that it truly wasn't *her*, as he had foolishly believed her to be, but someone else - someone who he'd seen in picture that had been sent in a forgotten Christmas card several years back. The card hadn't been sent to him, it had been sent to the person they were going to see and he wondered what he was going to say to make this entire situation make sense. The least of his problems was what name to give her; it had been so long since he'd met someone he didn't know, or didn't know of him, and he doubted that she would take anything less than his Christian name for an answer. Trouble was, it had been so long, he'd nearly forgotten what his Christian name was.  
  
He settled on the name he'd used for the past two decades. "Mirror."  
  
A 'get real' look set in her features and she smirked. "Yeah right. And my name is Glass."  
  
He lifted one hand off the steering wheel and merely pointed at his sunglasses. Understanding dawned in her eyes. "I get it." She paused. "I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. My unc-I have some friends with stranger names."  
  
"It's actually Mirror Man, on account of my being a man and." He saw the smirk on her face and it took him flying back more then ten years; but it still had the power to humble him. "Never mind."  
  
They drove on in silence, and she let her eyes take in all the details of the car - something she could report back to Kip later, if she made it out of this alive. This was obviously the car with the extra package, an 8-disc CD changer, BOSE speakers that were strategically placed around the travelers to make the sound fuller, cherry lacquered trim around the dash and door handles, and of course, the ever-present blinking red light on the corner of the stereo that she knew was merely a decoy for the monster security system woven throughout the car.  
  
At this point in her conversation with her uncle, he and Tumbler would share a wistful gaze or if he was by himself, a ghost of a smile would appear on his lips, leaving her like she was missing the end of some running joke that had been in their past.  
  
Mirror noticed her drinking in the car and all the features with a practiced eye and had to shake his head. If he'd been questioning it before, it was blatantly obvious now. She was made to sit behind the wheel of a red sports car, just like her mother, and drive the hell out of it until she just couldn't drive anymore. The cool assessment of the vehicle came from her father, and partly her uncle - his former best friend, with whom he'd had little to no contact with in the past years - but would help her discern whether or not the risk was necessary.  
  
It didn't occur to him that she knew nothing about her mother, the same as they did, or that her father had long since retired fully from the 'business,' taking his younger brother and best friend with him.  
  
He only knew that the thrill of boosting cars was in her blood.  
  
And as soon as someone opened her eyes to that thrill, and she could handle them as expertly as her parents once had, she was going to tear this complacent town of Long Beach apart.  
  
And he was going to help her.  
  
* * *  
  
Sage never took her eyes off the road, for all her checking out the car and asking questions. It came to mind that she might have to make the trip back home by herself, and she didn't want to get lost. So while it appeared that she was looking at all inches of the car, she really kept one eye on the road and stored away the information in her mind.  
  
The car finally slowed some, and she saw a high, chain-link fence that parted slowly to let them through. Ahead of them lay an old wooden building with a faded sign on it that she couldn't make out in the darkness. The only other distinguishable element to add up was the large graveyard of cars that surrounded them.  
  
All sorts of cars, from the expensive ones, like the very car she was in right now, to older, classic cars that she barely recognized. There was one shadowed form to her far right, that was draped over tightly with a black tarp and before she could stop the words from tumbling out, she asked, "What kind of car is that?"  
  
Mirror turned to her with a smile that she couldn't yet decipher; though she got the impression he was almost proud of her for some reason. He didn't answer her, though, merely turned the car off and unlocked the door for her to get out.  
  
She left her bag on the seat and waited for him to lead wherever they were going. He moved with purposeful strides to the front of the building and opened up a huge door with a jaunty flourish. It was anti-climatically dark inside and she couldn't make out a thing, but he was halfway across the room when he called, "Wait here," and she wasn't about to take her chances just yet.  
  
Suddenly, the lights above her flickered on, almost reluctant to reveal the secret of her location and something slammed into her as she looked around at what had all the makings of a body shop.  
  
'*She had been here before. And she knew this place as much as she was certain the sun rose in the east every morning and Earth was round.*'  
  
Two chalkboards, covered in cobwebs and a thick layer of dust stood proudly, if somewhat out of place, in the back of the room, and while she itched, for some reason, to get over there and read them, her attention was taken up by the rest of the room. Cars rested on lifts and tools lay scattered about on every surface possible, while the place reeked faintly of gasoline and anti-freeze. Paint splatters of varying color decorated multiple spots on the cement flooring and some even reached the walls.  
  
Echoing footsteps sounded from behind her and she whirled around to see Mirror coming down a steep metal staircase that led up to a loft of sorts. Face hidden from view, she could make out another man close on his heels and watched with a detached interest as they made their way over to her, deftly walking around the cars and plentiful tools that were strewn across the floor.  
  
Finally, they got close and Mirror stepped aside to reveal his companion.  
  
The man looked old. He was obviously much older than her father, and judging by the lines etched around his eyes and mouth that only added to the effect, life hadn't been easy for him. A pair of faded navy overalls rested on his still-trim form and with his slightly slicked-back hair, he looked as though he belonged in another time, though he plainly fit in here. The clear blue eyes threw her for a loop, though, and made her take a closer look at their new company. Identification hit her like a sucker- punch to the gut and she sucked in an audible breath.  
  
"*Uncle Otto*?"  
  
* * *  
  
End chapter two.  
  
Sorry it took so long to get out; I've been working on half a dozen things at once and this was sort of sitting on my computer, waiting to be read through and proofed before it could be sent out. Because you all love me SO very much and that is going to be demonstrated with all the reviews you leave, I have a present for you:  
  
Chapter three is also posted.  
  
Now all you have to do is wait a bajillion years for chapter 4. 


	4. Chapter 3

Life is Like A Bowl Of Cherries  
  
Chapter 3 Serenity Sea (Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Otto Halliwell stared at the young girl before him and wondered how in the world he let her slip away. As her godfather, he should have fought harder, made his surrogate son stay in Long Beach - at least in the state - so he could help raise her and see what type of woman she would grow up to be. Now, though, her metamorphosis was almost complete and he had missed all of it.  
  
"Sage," he opened his arms and she flew into them with a childlike innocence. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and she smelled faintly of the familiar combination of citrus and gasoline, and he had to smile.  
  
After one more squeeze, she pulled back to look at him, the attitude seeping out of her and her unusual green eyes lighting up with a smile. "I can't believe it's you. I thought I'd never see you again."  
  
Otto smiled in return and put an arm around her shoulder. "Well, we couldn't have that, now could we?" She shook her head wordlessly and he guided her over to the steps so she could sit and he could take in her appearance.  
  
Sage's hair had darkened considerably since he'd last since her - though that was nearly five years ago, and to be expected - and she'd grown into tall and slender frame. She was quite thin - which worried him, because the last person he'd seen that thin had been her mother before she disappeared - but her eyes had remained that same, silver-green with a trace of sadness her new attitude hid well.  
  
She looked like a carbon copy of her mother.  
  
When her mother had had darker hair and had first joined up with their crew.  
  
Way before Kip had been involved and Atley had been injured, and still with them. She changed it after Memphis left, thinking that she could change the past if she changed her present, and when she left the business a year later, it was still same the pale blonde, twisted in dreadlocks, that they'd come to associate with her name.  
  
Still smiling, he asked, "When did you get into town? Assuming, of course, that Mirror didn't kidnap you from another state." A slightly admonishing gaze was thrown his way but Mirror just smiled easily and quietly left the room.  
  
"A little under a month by now, I guess. It's flown by pretty quick- I'm surprised my father hasn't called you yet."  
  
Otto noticed her tone cooled considerably as her eyes had shuttered over with some emotion and knew that the relationship was strained between father and daughter. His heart went out to both of them and hoped that it could be worked out even as he stifled the immediate reaction of anger that Memphis had been in town for such a time and neglected to mention it.  
  
"Ah, well, he wouldn't," Otto replied, knowing that it was high time she knew the truth about. *all of it.* "He's given up his past and everything with it."  
  
Intrigued, Sage leaned her elbows on her legs with the same intensity her mother had when learning about some new exotics and murmured, "Do tell."  
  
He had to blink several times to clear the image of her mother that had super-imposed itself on top of her and cleared his throat. "Why don't we get something to eat first. You must be starving."  
  
Her stomach growled audibly and they laughed.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"I'm tellin' you, man, it was weird. It was like starin' at. *her* all over again. She's a friggin' clone." Two faces looked up at him with a tolerating look and he groaned. "You just wait. When Otto brings her in here, you'll see what I'm talking about."  
  
He took his seat at a long table next to a stoic-looking man and elbowed him in the side. "You believe me, right, Sphinx?"  
  
The Sphinx gave him a chilling look that clearly stated, "Get your elbow out of my *bleeping* side before I shove it up your ass. Backwards."  
  
Mirror Man shrugged, too used to the man's stares by now to be intimidated. "You'll see," he repeated quietly, reaching for a piece of pizza.  
  
And they did see.  
  
He had the satisfaction of watching them-even Sphinx-drop their pizza on the plate and jaws drop open in shock when Otto guided Sage through the doorway.  
  
"Come now, fellows. You don't want to scare Sage off, now, do you?"  
  
With an effort, they closed their mouths and looked at each other in shock before directing their gazes back to her.  
  
A raven-haired young man with dark eyes was first to speak. "Sorry that we're all starin' at you. It's just that. well, you look a hell of a lot like someone we used to know."  
  
Her gaze immediately met Mirror's, remembering his earlier statement and the previous incident. "Don't mind Freb, there. He has a tendency to speak up even when he's not supposed to."  
  
She looked inquiringly at the younger-looking man next to Freb. "And you are?"  
  
He blushed and she found it refreshing. "Uh, Toby."  
  
A smile curved her lips. "Mirror, Toby, and Freb. That's a catchy group you have."  
  
For some reason, it sounded unbalanced, even to her ears, and she grew uncomfortable with the fact that her uncle and Tumbler had probably known them at one time. Then her gaze settled on the grim, silent man sitting next to Mirror and involuntarily took a step back into Otto, who steadied her by the shoulders.  
  
Mirror grinned at her reaction and nudged The Sphinx again. "Dude, I *told* you. Turn down the glare when we have company." He looked up at Sage with a grin. "This here is Sphinx. And don't take offense to the fact that he doesn't talk back. It's not you. It's just the way he is."  
  
Sphinx's eyes slid up glaringly and Mirror moved away with a tentative smile. "I'm just gonna go sit over here and grab myself a beer."  
  
She looked to Otto for reassurance, who nodded, and started to sit down next to the scary looking Sphinx. She had gotten one leg over the picnic bench when voices came from their right.  
  
In strolled two men, a tall black man with closely cut hair and a warm smile and a shorter man with a gimp and slicked back hair that put Otto's to shame. She stared at the shorter man, trying to place him, and when she couldn't her gaze went back up to the black man.  
  
They'd both stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing her and she took that opportunity to climb out of her place and walk over to them.  
  
Squinting up at the tall man, "Donny?"  
  
Something in his face lit up and he picked her up and twirled her around. "You *do* remember!" She leaned in close to him and squeezed her arms around his neck the way she had when she was younger. When he finally set her down, she politely turned her attention to the other man.  
  
"You must be Atley."  
  
He nodded quietly and her eyes widened. "Please tell me you can talk. I can only take one Sphinx."  
  
Everyone laughed, Sphinx even smiled and Atley smiled. "You must be Sage Raines."  
  
She shrugged a slim shoulder. "So everyone keeps telling me."  
  
"You doubt it?"  
  
Her expressive eyes glanced at him before she folded her arms defensively and mumbled, "I don't know what to think anymore."  
  
A hush filled the room and Atley put his hand on her shoulder, steering her out the way he and Donny had come in to get some air. and to talk.  
  
Which left the rest of them with the image of Sage's expression and how much of her mother she had in her.  
  
* * *  
  
"So what's this all about, then? Seems to me like you've got a good head on you shoulders-you seem to know who you are."  
  
Sage breathed in the crisp night air and watched the moonlight ripple in a puddle at her feet. "I thought I knew. But everyone I've met had *that* reaction to me tonight and I feel like I've missed the joke. Who was she?"  
  
Even though he knew who she was talking about, he needed time to gather a response. "Who was who, darlin'?"  
  
Something flickered in those eyes of hers and he recognized it as irritation. "The person I remind everyone of. Who was she?"  
  
Sighing, Atley reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lighter. His hands shook slightly, but she didn't notice. Inwardly, he wondered if he had the right to tell her this; if Memphis had wanted her to know, he would have told her by now, for sure, and then he wondered how the job of disclosing bad news had fallen to him. First Kip, now his niece.  
  
"She was your mother." He answered simply, and blew out a stream of smoke, watching her reaction.  
  
"You knew my mother?"  
  
Atley nodded. "We all did. She used to be one of us." He didn't expand on whatever they were, and she didn't ask. She was still too busy trying to absorb the facts, as things clicked into place.  
  
"That's why he hates me so much, isn't it?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My father." She laughed bitterly. "Because I look like her. And-" She broke off as her throat closed with emotion.  
  
He put his arm around her comfortingly and she reluctantly rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sure he doesn't *hate* you, Sage. He's your father. No parent could ever hate their child."  
  
Sage lifted her head briefly and sent a chilling look down his spine. "Then you obviously haven't seen him in action. He won't look at me unless he has to, and he certainly didn't raise me. 'Dad' is merely a title, because if you want to know what's really been going on, Kip and Tumbler have taken care of me since I was five. I guess that's when I started looking like her."  
  
Atley wisely remained silent, letting her have her time to get used to the information that had been dumped on her.  
  
"You want to know something pathetic?"  
  
He looked down at her. "What's that?"  
  
She looked away, her eyes locking onto the black-covered car that she'd seen before, and absorbing the familiarity of it. "I don't even know her name." Atley cursed before he could stop it and she nodded. "I know."  
  
By his figuring, he could at least give her that. There was no harm in letting a daughter know her mother's name, right? "Her name was Sara."  
  
"Just Sara?" She asked, fishing for a last name.  
  
For now that would have to be enough. "Just. Sara." He knew it was bad lying to her, that she'd been lied to enough her entire life and she more than deserved some truth, but that was a line he wasn't sure he could cross. Things were obviously bad between Memphis and his daughter now, and telling her more would only make it worse. Plus, it wasn't his decision to make. If she was anything like her mother, and it was unquestionable that she was, then she was going to attack Memphis with all the determination of a bank robber, demanding answers.  
  
But it felt weird. Calling her by her given name instead of the one she'd responded to for all those years. He wondered where she was now and what she was doing; the rumor among the group was that she was dead. But he knew her and he knew that she wouldn't allow anything as mundane as death to happen to her. She was probably out there, lurking, just waiting to make her entrance into their world again.  
  
"She's dead." Sage mentioned abruptly and he had his answer.  
  
"Do you believe that?" he asked, carefully keeping the speculatory tone to himself.  
  
With an effort, she pulled herself together and looked him in the eye. "*No.*"  
  
He saw her shutting down and he knew he had to stop it some way. "Why?"  
  
"Why not?" She shrugged. "He's lied to me about everything else. Why wouldn't he lie about this?"  
  
"Why would he?" Atley countered calmly.  
  
This made her pause and some of the fire went out of her eyes. Possible thoughts ran through her mind until she settled on one that had the green in her eyes up and blazing. "Because he was ashamed of rejection."  
  
And that pretty much hit the nail on the head. Memphis never hid from anything unless he was uncomfortable with it. It was unsettling how much she looked like her mother just then, with the fire in her eyes and the dead-on depiction of her father.  
  
"She loved him." He offered quietly, hoping to assuage some of the anger towards her father.  
  
"Then why did she leave him?" She retorted, and it occurred to him that the anger might not be directed at Memphis at all.  
  
* * *  
  
"I can't find her."  
  
Tumbler looked at Kip. "We'll find her."  
  
"Tumbler, we've been up and down these streets for the past two hours. She's not here, and she's not at home. She's missing, and we're going to have to tell Memphis."  
  
"Maybe she's at a friend's house?"  
  
"She would answer her cell."  
  
"What if it's dead? Or broken?"  
  
"She would have called to let me know."  
  
The bulkier man rested in the soft leather seat of Kip's Porsche. "I'm out of answers."  
  
"Good."  
  
Tumbler rolled his eyes. "You're such a drama queen."  
  
Kip turned to him with angry eyes. "No, I'm not a drama queen, I'm just worried that my 16-year-old niece is out missing, or lying dead in a ditch somewhere. I'm also worried that if her father finds out she's gone, he's going to do something stupid and let people know that we're back in town before we're ready."  
  
Startling them out of their misery was the sharp trill of Kip's cell phone. Caller ID showed it was Memphis and he looked out the window stubbornly. It rang a few more times and then stopped, only to pick up again, on Tumbler's phone.  
  
He glanced at Kip, who nodded ever so slightly and answered the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Do you know where Kip is?"  
  
"Yeah," he stared at his friend, replying vague to stall for time.  
  
"Good. Do you know where my daughter is?"  
  
Just then, Kip's phone rang again and they jumped. The caller ID was unavailable and they could imagine all-too clearly what could be on the other end. It rang promisingly once more and before the note could end, Kip had it opened and answered. "Hello?"  
  
Memphis repeated in Tumbler's ear, "Do you know where Sage is?" But Tumbler was too focused on the color draining out of Kip's face and seeing him swallow convulsively.  
  
"I'm gonna have to call you back," he promised Memphis, closing the phone against his protests and watching as Kip ended his own call and started to turn the car around.  
  
"Was that her?"  
  
Kip took a deep breath. "Not exactly."  
  
"It wasn't a kidnapper, right? No one kidnapped her?"  
  
"It wasn't a kidnapper."  
  
Tumbler waited for more, but that was all he wanted to share. Then he noticed they were driving on the outskirts of town and got confused. "Dude, where are we going?"  
  
It was a full minute before Kip answered him; Tumbler counted. "To Otto's. Mirror picked her up on the way home from school and brought her there."  
  
* * *  
  
I am such a devious little writer-person. Stop me.  
  
About the whole Sage/Jesse storyline. don't rule that out just yet. We're laying down the groundwork for this and so we'll get back to that in chapter 4 or 5. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Memphis stared down at his cell phone in shock. Tumbler had just hung up on him. Sage was MIA and Kip wasn't taking his calls. Something was up.  
  
He tried Kip's cell once more and was rewarded with an answer this time. "Where are you?"  
  
The pause on the other end was lengthy enough to make him worry. "On our way to pick Sage up."  
  
"You know where she is?"  
  
"Sure. She's at. a friend's." There was something incredibly cryptic about that sentence, but before he could question it, Kip had said goodbye and hung up.  
  
Things were sort of a blur after that. He remembered getting in the car, turning on the ignition, and pulling out of the parking lot.  
  
And then he was on autopilot, his body knowing what his brain was refusing to register.  
  
* * *  
  
"When we get there, I'm going to beat her."  
  
Tumbler winced sympathetically, knowing exactly what she in for. "Maybe you shouldn't do that."  
  
The anger in his eyes was palpable now. "Oh no, I'm absolutely going to do that. She deserves a hell of a lot worse for ending up where she is now and getting into a car with a stranger. *What the hell was she thinking?*"  
  
"Mirror's not a stranger," Tumbler interjected quietly.  
  
Kip shook his head. "He is to her. She never met him. Donny, Otto-hell, even Atley, I could see, but Mirror? The girl had no brains left in her head."  
  
They were silent for the rest of the drive; words would only make things worse and Kip needed all his energy to remember how to get to Otto's. It had been over ten years since he'd last seen the man and even longer since he'd visited the garage. When Memphis had talked about making occasional visits to Otto's, he'd immediately turned him down, knowing that as much as he loved Sage, if he went back, he'd stay.  
  
He only hoped that he wouldn't get sucked back in now.  
  
* * *  
  
Sage watched as Toby put the phone down quietly. "He's on his way." They had hoped, by having Toby, the most mild member in the group make the call, that Kip would take it easier and calm down a bit. But she knew better.  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Great." Atley put his hand on her shoulder and she sighed. "He's going to be furious." When no one said anything, she looked accusingly at Mirror Man. "He is, isn't he?"  
  
Mirror looked at Otto for guidance, but he shrugged him off and gave him a look that was clearly meant to say, 'hey, this one's all yours.' "Yeah," he admitted. "But that's only if he remembers how to get here."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sage was confused. If Kip had spent as much time here as she thought he had - and that was a great deal of his life - then there should be no problem. "He's been here before."  
  
Otto cleared his throat finally, saving Mirror Man from further interrogation. "Kip hasn't been here in a long time, Sage. And in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly in the most accessible location."  
  
A snort came from Freb as he took a swig of beer. "Hell, we're in the freakin' boonies, man!"  
  
Donny shook his head painfully and stared at him a second before smacking him upside the head. "Didn't I teach you to think before you open your mouth?"  
  
Freb stuttered a bit and looked bashful when he turned his face back up to meet Sage's. "Sorry."  
  
She smiled easily. "It's okay. I think we're all just a bit nervous about them getting here and-"  
  
The slamming of car doors and a very loud argument that traveled clearly through the windows from the outside cut off the rest of her comment.  
  
"I told you to take that left, man, but you didn't want to listen."  
  
"Hey!" That was Kip and she could tell he was more than annoyed. The men in her family never seemed to deal well with getting lost. "I got us here, didn't I?"  
  
Loud footsteps could be heard for several moments and then stopped.  
  
"Should we knock?" Tumbler asked, his voice muffled by his close proximity to the door.  
  
Inside, Donny rolled his eyes and looked heavenward. Some things never changed. Sage giggled.  
  
"Did we ever knock?" Kip shot back, shoving the door open.  
  
They busied themselves with getting the door closed quickly - 'apparently,' Otto thought, 'old habits died hard' - and because of that, everyone inside got a chance to see them first.  
  
When they turned around, though, the effect was complete, and everyone was silent.  
  
"My god. You've turned into a bunch of sissies." Sphinx, who was the first to recover, spoke in his clear, accented voice.  
  
Sage's eyes grew wide and she along with everyone else, turned to look at the large man. He shrugged and closed his mouth, making it clear that he wasn't going to contribute any more.  
  
For the next few minutes, no one said a word. Mirror had taken off his glasses for the first time in years to rub them and stare at Sphinx intensely. Sage saw her uncle and Tumbler shed about 10 years of their lives, and watched as they regressed before her very eyes.  
  
Kip scuffed his shoe back and forth and chuckled nervously. "Wh-What do you mean, Sphinx?"  
  
Mirror looked over and then tossed a glance at Sphinx. "What he means is that you're dressin' like some trussed up preppy boy from the 'burbs. What happened to the hair, the beard, the coolness? Where'd it go, man?"  
  
Tumbler rolled his eyes self-consciously and a small anxious titter escaped him as he tried to formulate a response that would let them know he was still inside the cleaned-up looking young man.  
  
"Maybe I can answer that for you." A new voice called from the door, demanding their attention.  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter 5 is also posted. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 (Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Sage froze where she was and her eyes scrunched closed. She cursed inaudibly, feeling that gaze on her even though her back was turned.  
  
Kip shoved Tumbler accusingly. "I thought you locked the door!"  
  
"I did, I swear!"  
  
The tall man dressed in black, who stood comfortably at the door, pulled something thin and silver out of his coat pocket briefly. "You really think that lock was going to keep me out?" He fished something silver out of his pocket and tossed it to Tumbler, who caught it reflexively. "Otto gave me a key." His dark blue eyes scanned the room. "But I honestly thought you would have made better time getting here. Where is she?"  
  
Drawing in a breath and praying for strength, Sage forced herself to turn on the stairs and face the newcomer. "Hi, Dad."  
  
Memphis Raines stared at his daughter, taking in the way she was standing, arms braced on the railings of the stairs, leaning slightly forward and looking as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. If there were ever a time she reminded him more of *her*, he'd have been dammed to remember it now. Sometimes it took everything he had to remember that she was not her mother and it would therefore be wrong to take out what he was feeling on her. It took some effort, but he finally managed to speak without sounding bitter.  
  
"Ho-How did you get here?"  
  
She came down the steps slowly, just the way her mother always had - pausing to rest one foot on each rung as she descended, enjoying the noise it made.  
  
"Mirror Man picked me up. I was lost in the center of town. He had me get in the car and we ended up here."  
  
His eyes closed slowly, trying to hold back his temper. Right now, he was having no problem keeping mother and daughter separate. Even *she* hadn't been that stupid. Sage liked to pass herself off as being savvy, and for the most part, she was. But there was a certain innocence to her that seemed to carry itself well into her teenage years.  
  
"And before you say anything," she held a hand up and walked the rest of the distance to where her father was standing, "He didn't force me to get in the car," her right hand dipped behind her back and she crossed her fingers tightly, in clear view of everyone else, "and I could have gotten out at any time."  
  
He nodded, thinking it over. "Why didn't you answer your cell phone?"  
  
Otto stepped between the two, momentarily distracting Memphis from his daughter. "I think I can answer that, Memphis. You see, cell phone service is not what it used to be out here and, well," he paused awkwardly as Sage got the picture and handed her phone over. "See for yourself."  
  
Only one of the five little bullets was displayed on her phone, though it did show several missed calls from Kip and Tumbler around 4 o'clock. "Fair enough." He saw Sage trying to tiptoe away and Otto saw the determined set in Memphis' jaw. "Sage. Get your things. We're going home."  
  
Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. I haven't seen Uncle Otto in years. I'm not leaving yet."  
  
"*Sage*. Your things." When she didn't move, he firmly added, "*NOW*."  
  
Sage swept through the rows of cars and back up the stairs where her jacket and book bag rested. Somewhere between reunions and the phone call, Mirror had retrieved her things and brought them up to the loft so she could get some work done while they tried to figure out what to do with her.  
  
Hidden from view, her hand stilled on the bag as a devious plan crept into her mind. She reached inside the bag and pulled out her English notebook. It was her most important notebook, and she would need it later. But for now, it would serve as a way to return to the place where she felt at home and strangely alone at the same time. With any luck, she could at least find out more about her mother and forge a friendship with people who, in her opinion, should have been in her life all along.  
  
"Sage?" Memphis called from below.  
  
"Coming," she replied, taking a pen and scribbling a hasty note on a blank piece of paper. She covered the sound of her ripping out the page by confirming that she was coming again, and left it in fairly plain sight for whoever came up to the loft next.  
  
Memphis did not so much as say hello to his old crew, and his eyes swept over Kip's friends as if they weren't even there. "Let's go." He placed a rigid hand on Sage's shoulder and walked her out of Otto's.  
  
Otto moved as if to go after them, and Kip, who had watched the whole encounter with a sort of bored interest, put his arm, palm up, to stop him. "No, don't. She'll be back. And she's going to chew him a new one by the time they get home."  
  
The older man had difficulty restraining himself, but muttered something darkly and left the room.  
  
Kip and Tumbler turned to face the remaining crew. "Hey guys."  
  
Silence once again reigned in the garage until Mirror Man came bounding forward and grabbed them both in a tight hug. Toby and Freb followed soon after, and even Donny got in on the action.  
  
Sphinx and Atley were curiously missing, and Kip absently wondered where they went. Then Mirror was dragging him in the back for some pizza and to show off the newest cars they were revamping to Tumbler and it was out of his mind.  
  
* * *  
  
"You know," Atley sighed, exhaling a strong steam of smoke as he watched Memphis' black Acura pull away from the lot and onto the muddy back roads, "I'd forgotten what a stubborn sonofabitch he was."  
  
Sphinx's teeth gleamed in the moonlight and Atley knew he wasn't out of line by continuing, "But you would have thought he'd want his kid to know about her past. If for no other reason for her not to repeat it." A long drag on the cigarette and he was careful to ground it firmly beneath his shoes. With a garage full of gasoline, you could never be too safe. "She's 16; almost 17. She gets her license in another month."  
  
The Sphinx grunted his acknowledgement.  
  
"Ten bucks the first place she comes is here."  
  
Atley turned on his heel and went inside, leaving Sphinx to think about what he'd said.  
  
"Hmmm." The tall, stoic man stared out into the distance, until he couldn't see the red of his former crew leader's taillights anymore. He stayed out a few more minutes for good measure and allowed his thoughts to drift to the girl's mother. She had been incredible, and a near-perfect match for Memphis. (Even though she swore she was 'flawed.') Without her, he was a bitter, stiff-necked man who couldn't even allow his daughter her happiness.  
  
When she'd left, she'd left a whole in everyone's heart. That was just her way. She sort of attached herself to everything, stuck a claim on one part of you or another, and then left you high and dry when the wind changed and she decided to move elsewhere.  
  
The thing was, she never moved far.  
  
And he knew she was alive.  
  
Sphinx reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, reading it in the bright moonlight. Up until this evening, he hadn't dared to open it. The name was unfamiliar, but the handwriting wasn't. He had an all-too clear idea what was on the inside of the envelope.  
  
He sighed deeply, finished reading, and tucked the letter back in his pocket.  
  
Oh yes. She was alive.  
  
* * *  
  
"What were you thinking? You didn't even know who Mirror Man was! You got into a car *with a stranger*." Memphis shook his head and pushed himself to focus more than a third of his attention on the road. The last thing he needed right now was a ticket.  
  
Sage sat in the passenger's seat, looking obstinately out the window. She refused to meet his eyes. Not only had he completely embarrassed her, he'd pulled her out of a situation where she'd been comfortable. For her to feel comfortable these days, it required a little more than a smile from someone and a kind word. But for once, she felt like she among family. And he'd taken that away. It was unforgivable.  
  
"And then you have Toby call Kip. Did you not want to face him yourself? Were you worried he was going to ream you out?"  
  
'Kind of the way you're doing now,' she mentally responded, refusing to show emotion. Her father was playing the 'I'm going to see how long it takes you to get mad' game and she could wait him out as long as necessary. She had two cards in her hand that she had yet to play and when she used them, it was going to be with great relish. For now, she'd just watch to see when they were off the major highways. With what she had to say, being in a congested area wasn't a good thing.  
  
"Are you going to answer me?" he demanded and she responded with a lazy look.  
  
Memphis bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood and tried to remember how much damage a speeding ticket would do him right now. He counted to ten until his mind hurt from the numbness. When he'd turned onto their street, he opened his mouth to speak, but Sage cut him off and beat him to it.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me Mom's name was Sara?"  
  
Now, Memphis was an extremely skilled driver. He'd been driving since he was a year or two younger than Sage and performed some extremely evasive maneuvers. The thing of it was, her question had caught him so entirely off- guard, he swerved to the left and nearly took out the neighbors' trashcans. With shaky hands, he pulled over and turned off the car.  
  
He turned to look at her. "*What*?"  
  
She returned the look. "Mom. Her name was Sara. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Because I didn't think it was necessary." Sage rolled her eyes so sharply he thought they might fall out of her head. "Who told you?"  
  
"I'm not a rat," she retorted, leaned over, and started the car back up herself.  
  
Memphis watched her a bit longer and she evenly sent back a look of her own until he put the car into gear and drove the remaining distance home.  
  
Before he could say anything to her, she'd grabbed her bag and had unlocked the front door. He exited the car as well, running a hand over the smooth black paint, and wondered how he'd gone from a car that was older than he was to one younger than his daughter. It drove beautifully.  
  
But it wasn't Eleanor.  
  
He sighed and went inside to fix himself a cup of coffee. For the next few hours, he was lost in paperwork, looking over Sage's grades, and wondering what type of car he would get her.  
  
Kip said she'd been a simply awful driver when they started out. She'd been painfully bad. But then, after a week or so, the Raines genes kicked in and she had driven the test car - a 10-year-old brown Oldsmobile - like it was a sports car. She wasn't doing the fancy stuff - the 180's and 360's and reverses at 70 MPH - but she sure as hell could drive. He had even let her loose with his beloved silver Porsche, and that was the highest form of praise she could ever get from him.  
  
Memphis glanced at the clock and rubbed a hand over his face. It was time for bed.  
  
He turned off the lights and knew that he didn't need to leave any on for his younger brother. Kip wouldn't be coming home tonight. The stairs were dark and he had more than half a mind to leave it that way, and head straight for his room at the end of the hall. And he'd hate himself in the morning. He already hated himself for not even saying hello to the guys, but if he'd shown any sort of interest in rekindling what once was, Sage would have caught onto that in a heartbeat, and snatched the chance to-to do whatever it was she wound up doing.  
  
He pushed open the door to her room gently, smiling when it didn't squeak, as was sometimes the tendency. Sage was stretched out on her bed, with her arms and legs flung to the sides. She hadn't changed out of her school clothes, though her shoes were off at the foot of the bed, and Memphis smiled when he saw her favorite stuffed toy - a red Volkswagen Beatle - clutched tightly in her right arm.  
  
Even at 16, you weren't too old to have something to cuddle with - in spite of it being over 10 years old; the red was no longer red but a dull, and considerably lightened cherry color - or too old to have your dad tuck you into bed.  
  
Memphis gathered her close with one arm and expertly turned back her sheets with the other. He settled her in and she turned to rest on her side, hair fanning out on the white sheets and looking somewhat like. *him*, for once. The unyielding set to her jaw while the rest of her features were softened in sleep was undeniably something that she got from him.  
  
He chuckled at the irony - 16 years after he'd shut her out of his life, he was realizing just how much he wanted to be a part of hers - and ran a hand through the thick hair that was all her mother's.  
  
"I love you, Sage." Memphis leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
She mumbled something in her sleep and he smiled tenderly. *She'd* always loved her sleep too, and hated when he woke her up for one reason or another. Unfortunately, Kip loved sleep as well, so she had the sleep gene from both sides of her family this time.  
  
As he closed the door on his slumbering daughter, he vowed to do whatever it took to forge a strong relationship with her.  
  
Everything but bring her to Otto.  
  
* * *  
  
The morning, when Sage woke up, the sun was shining on the door across from her bed. This stuck her as odd, because when her alarm woke her up, the sun usually wasn't even out. Warily, she turned over on her side to see her alarm clock. '8:02'  
  
She cursed. First period had begun nearly an hour ago. With a new sense of urgency, she rose from the bed, tossed the sheets to the top and spared a second to pull them down while reaching for the nearest pair of jeans.  
  
The jeans she was now jumping into were black and feeling melancholy, she reached for her nearest black shirt. It was thin, and fitted, and she would normally have paired it with something more. well, at least something more colorful. But this morning, she wasn't in the best mood and color was the least of her priorities.  
  
Halfheartedly, she grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom, then the stairs. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what awaited in the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning, sweetheart," Memphis said, never taking his eyes off the papers her was reading.  
  
And so the morning got weirder.  
  
"Kip didn't come home last night, so I decided I'd let you sleep in and drive you to school when you woke up."  
  
She tried to run a hand through her damp hair, but felt the gel and withdrew quickly. "Um. okay. I'll just grab a bagel and we can go."  
  
He turned at the exact moment she reached for her bagel on the counter behind him.  
  
Memphis Raines looked at his daughter and bit back a long string of curses. "I've never seen you do your hair that way before."  
  
Knowing he was referring to the twists that covered her entire head with gel, her lips curved slightly. "Mirror told me I had the right shaped face for it. Would you believe his sister is a hairdresser?"  
  
What he had trouble believing was that Mirror had willingly planted the idea in his daughter's head. And he had a sister that was a hairdresser? He didn't even know Mirror Man *had* a sister.  
  
"Um, well. it's a new look for you."  
  
She had wrapped the bagel in tinfoil and was tapping her foot impatiently. "Yeah, so? I like it."  
  
He grabbed his keys and she pushed out the door ahead of him, getting into the unlocked car. "As long as it makes you happy," he mumbled sarcastically.  
  
* * *  
  
After she had signed in at the main office and gotten everything settled in her locker, the bell rang, signaling the end of second period. This meant she had exactly four minutes to get her ass to chemistry, which was on the other side of the school. Grabbing the thick chem. book that she'd left overnight and an equally thick red notebook, she slammed the door shut and plowed into a black and green varsity football jerseyed chest.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Sage closed her eyes and stepped away, knowing exactly whom the voice belonged to. "Why aren't you walking away to let me die of embarrassment right now?"  
  
Jesse Castleback grinned, revealing a boyishly handsome set of white teeth, a sight that had brought many a cheerleader to their knees. "You weren't in English this morning," he ignored her negative statement, and put a hand on her shoulder to propel her in the direction of their next class. "I took the notes for you. Everything okay?"  
  
She cast a gauging clear-eyed look at him, one that usually intimidated people she didn't want to explain herself to - which was pretty often - and was slightly disturbed to find that it had no effect on his laughing brown eyes. She sighed and wondered why she was giving into the query, completely unaware that she was currently the envy of half the cheerleading squad.  
  
"I sort of had a big family reunion type thing yesterday after school. it went well, but the talk with my dad after; didn't."  
  
"Parents are unpredictable like that, aren't they?" His eyebrow rose. "I thought you'd hung here after school. But if you were here late, how'd you get a ride home?"  
  
She blinked. If he was okay with the fact that he'd just admitted to waiting for her, or was at least paying some seriously non-obligatory attention, then she could be too. "I, um. I got picked up." That wasn't to say that it wouldn't require some effort.  
  
They had now reached the door of the chem. class. He stopped at her statement and put both hands on her shoulders. "You *what*?"  
  
Sage immediately grew defensive. "I got a ride with a guy. I knew him," she added indignantly, pushing his hands away. "Sort of."  
  
Jesse stared at her for a long, measuring moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "You are too much, Raines. You're going to kill me, you know that right?"  
  
Involuntarily, she felt the corners of her mouth curve upwards. "Yeah, okay."  
  
The bell rang and they took their seats at the lab desk they shared near the back of the classroom. For the next few minutes, Sage sat quietly and took studious notes, while the teacher lectured about lab techniques and the importance of safety around highly flammable components.  
  
About 15 minutes into the lecture, Jesse slouched in his seat and groaned under his breath. Sage hid a smile; she had begun to understand her partner and knew that this was his least favorite part of the day. She, on the other hand, lived for science for some unexplainable reason. Maybe the controlled situations appealed to her, since labs could go as planned or entirely reversed from the expected results. For whatever explanation, this was, without a doubt her favorite class. But when he slouched in his seat like that, she knew that paying attention from this point on would be out of the question. When he was bored, he fidgeted. And when he fidgeted, he distracted her until she personally stopped him.  
  
She gave him about a minute before the foot jiggling began before touching his arm gently. "Chill. He's almost done, I remember this experiment from my last school."  
  
He rolled his eyes at her and playfully flicked a strand of her hair. "I kinda like this. Where'd you get the idea for it?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know," she murmured under her breathe, looking for all the world like she was paying diligent attention, though she was really trying to control her impatience with their still-droning teacher. That was the only thing that sucked about switching schools. You sometimes ran the risk of repeating things. A lot.  
  
Jesse flicked her hair again. "The football team's hosting a party this Friday night. Wanna come with?"  
  
Finally, the teacher was wrapping up. Unfortunately, he was also altering the experiment. She needed to get these diagrams down; at least one of them had to have them the correct procedure down. "Sure," Sage replied, answering without really thinking.  
  
He grinned and resettled himself in his chair. He knew when she realized what had just happened because her eyes got greener and grew to the size of the beakers resting on shelves around the classroom.  
  
"What?" She asked loudly, drawing the attention of the class and teacher. Instantly, she blushed, and ducked her head, letting her long twists cover her cheeks.  
  
"Was there something you disagreed with, Miss Raines?"  
  
Sage shook her head solemnly. "No, sir." Then a mischievous smile twisted her lips and her eyes gleamed. "Actually," the class, who had by now turned back around, glanced back, "what if instead of using a control plate with the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, we added another form of bacteria and see how it held up against that? I think that by using a non-plant bacteria, we would be able to test its effectiveness on a more stable type of virus."  
  
Their teacher looked impressed. "That's a very good idea. While you're going over the procedure, I'll see how I can work that in. Thank you for your input, Miss Raines. I hope to be hearing from you more often."  
  
She exhaled loudly, slumping in her seat with relief. Jesse cleared his throat and she glanced at him to see him grinning at her. "Don't speak. I just used up the reserves of my brain power and I need to regenerate."  
  
He held his hands up innocently. "I wasn't saying a word."  
  
Sage glared at him. "Sure you weren't." She reached for her pen and tried to go over the procedure quietly, but this proved hopeless as her mind was otherwise occupied with the fact that she had just accepted what could be justifiably called by any stretch of the imagination - a date. The pen that had been hovering over her notebook slammed down as she turned to look at him. "What did you just rope me into, Castleback?"  
  
Jesse smiled disarmingly. "Would I rope you into anything without your consent first?" Her glare hardened, and he continued, "You are just accompanying me to a small party with a few friends on Friday night. And don't think you can back out, because you already accepted and I will be devastated if I have to find another date. Not to mention, bored silly because all the good-looking girls in this school have nothing but air between their heads and yet you defy that, for somehow I manage to have a stimulating conversation with you no matter what." When she didn't react, he added, "That was a compliment, you know."  
  
Now she had to smile at him. "I know. I just don't want to ruin your evening. I'm not going to be a different person from who I am now, so just be prepared for that. Fitting in with the cheering squad isn't really my thing. You still sure you want me to go? There may be dirty looks shot to the rah-rah chicks if they start to mutter things under their breath."  
  
He slipped an arm around her shoulder easily, using his free hand to push away their notes while laughing at her probably dead-on prediction. "If I had wanted anyone else, I would have asked them. Don't you want to shake up the complacency of this town anyway?" Her eyes sparkled and he had his answer. "Besides. Can I help it if I don't want you wandering around the streets of Long Beach unaccompanied?"  
  
Sage recalled his earlier outburst. "Why were you so freaked, anyway?"  
  
Jesse shook his head slowly, almost as if mocking himself. "It probably has something to do with the fact that my father's a police officer."  
  
* * *  
  
I think that is quite possibly the longest chapter so far. It more than makes up for chapter four, though you all should consider yourselves lucky that you were granted another 2-chapter update.  
  
The chemistry between Jesse and our girl Sage is starting to take a turn for the better. She has no idea just how deep this boy has fallen. And why should she? No one ever paid her much attention before. But for some reason, little Castleback has fallen for the dark, mysteriously smart Raines daughter.  
  
I can't wait to see where it leads. 


	7. Chapter 6

Life is Like A Bowl Of Cherries 

**Chapter 6**

**Serenity****Sea******

**(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)**

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Around sixth period, after lunch, Sage found a blue slip in her locker. It was a request to go to the Guidance department. Apparently, she mused as she walked to the counseling offices, that was their way of doing things. You didn't get called over the PA; they just left a little piece of paper in your locker. 

The office was empty when the door automatically closed behind her and she got the strangest sense of being in a prison. There was a small woman with big hair sitting at a desk in the middle of nowhere and she walked up to her.

          "Excuse me? I've got an appointment."

The woman looked up with shrewd brown eyes. "Don't we all. What's your name, dearie?"

She grimaced. She wasn't this lady's dearie, or anyone else's for that matter. 'Not even Jesse's?' Ignoring the route the voice in her head had taken, she brushed a few twists back and answered, "Sage Raines. I was told to come this period."

          "Right then. Your counselor is Ms. Ward. She'll be out in just a second. Why don't you have a seat?"

Not that she _wanted to, but Sage recognized an order when it was issued. The magazines were the usual crap, mostly about collage and various eating disorders. Just what you wanted to read before you spilled your guts to someone who really didn't care. It was either that, or play mind games. She usually settled for the games. _

At the sound of a throat clearing, she looked up to see a pretty young blonde woman. "Hello. You must be Sage. I'm Sarah Ward."

For some strange reason, the woman's appearance set off warning bells. 'It's probably because every woman I meet from now until the end of time with that name is going to set me off.' She coughed. "You wanted to see me?"

The blonde's smile became a bit more strained. "Why don't you step into my office?"

Oh she loved this. Little rooms that weren't fit for a normal sized bathroom somehow housed every collage magazine and bit of collage memorabilia known to man, along with the schedules and background of several hundred students. Long Beach High being as large as it was, she estimated about a six or seven hundred student load, and suddenly felt much better. Mind games or not, this woman was going to be way too busy to keep tabs on her. 

She bestowed a rare smile on her as her counselor closed the door. "So what's up?" This was probably just your run-of-the-mill 'how are you adjusting to the school' sort of thing. She'd done it a million times and betted that she could do it in her sleep. 

          "I just wanted to see how you were adjusting. This is a new school for you, and Reno was much smaller than our school is."

Sage covered her smirk with a hand. "Um, yeah, it's big. But, you know, nothing I haven't done before."

She nodded. "Right." Suddenly a piercing look came into her eyes and she all but pinned Sage with her gaze. "How's your father?"

* * *

Only when she was leaning against the wall outside of Guidance was she free to exhale. For a few moments there… she wasn't sure she was going to make it out of there alive. 

          "Tough day, Raines?"

Eyes still closed, she responded, "Castleback… stop."

Naturally, this made him want to tease her more. There was nothing better than teasing her out of one of her 'moods.' Sage was somewhat of a drama queen, though if you ever told her that, she'd kick your teeth in. It was something her male-centric family indulged her in, and always had. But he'd seen it on the very first day and vowed to break her of the habit. 

He grabbed her arm and started to drag her into the throng of high schoolers all trying to get to their classes. She trusted him, but not that much. Her eyes flew open. "Where are we going?"

They stopped at her locker and he waited as she sluggishly began her combination. On the third try, he groaned and batted her hand away with an expectant look. 

          "Combination?" She gave it to him, still looking like she'd been hit by a sack of bricks. "Come on, Raines, what'd Ward say to you in there? You're like a zombie." The locker door popped open and a white card fluttered to the floor. She bent to pick it up. 

          "It's from Ms. Nichols. She wants me to know that my dad's scheduled to come in next week, but that she hasn't been able to get a hold of him." She thunked her head on the neighboring locker. "God. My family is so dysfunctional. This is seriously not even worth it anymore."  

And now he was officially worried. "Come on." 

Her eyes jumped up to his and he wondered why they were looking particularly silver. "Where?"

Jesse roughly grabbed the books out of her arms and plucked her bag off the hook. "Anywhere we have to so I can get that look off your face."

          "What look?"

He physically grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look in the small locker mirror. Her eyes were taking up her entire face, her skin was paler than usual and she felt clammy. 

          "Oh. _That_ look."

          "Yeah," he shut the locker, and guided her to the student parking lot, then to a red BMW 3 series, which he unlocked at once. "That one."

Once inside and a couple of miles away from school, she put a hand on the steering wheel. "Not to be totally original, but where are we going?"

He shrugged, and a bit of the tough guy façade fell away. "I don't really know. I just knew that I had to get you out of there. Sage, you seriously looked like you were going to lose it." When she didn't answer, he pressed, "Sage? You feel sick or something?"

She snapped to attention. "What? Oh. No. I would tell you. Wouldn't want to wreck your pretty car, after all." _I'm just trying to get over the fact that you called me by my first name and I was okay with it. More than okay with it._

Jesse's lips twisted in a smirk. "My father bought it for me. I would have preferred an old Camaro or something, but he's got a thing for Beemers." He cleared his throat uncertainly. "So. Do you have somewhere in particular you wanted to go, or should we just wing it?"

          "Win—Wait. Turn here." He did and she began to smile. "I've got an idea."

* * * 

When Otto heard a car pull into the lot, he was intrigued. He'd ventured up to the loft after Sage left, and found her note. If Kip was to be trusted in his normal drunken stupor, then it was probably her outside now. But she didn't drive yet, school wasn't out, and after last night, he had a hard time believing that Memphis was going to bring her here. 

The best thing to do would be to just wait. 

Spoiling the peace and quiet was a loud belch from the back room. He grumbled and followed the sound of laughter to investigate. It would appear that he was going to have to trust Sage on her choice of transportation on this one.

As if cued in a movie, the big front door slid back and Sage squeezed through, pulling Jesse in behind her. While he stood there in awe, she easily made her way around tools and car parts to the loft stairs. "Coming?"

He looked like a kid in a toy store. "Do I _have_ to?"

She grinned, shaking her head. Wouldn't it be just her luck to fall for a guy who loved cars as much as she did. At least her dad would like him. Her bag was resting jauntily where she'd left it and a quick peek inside revealed that nothing had been moved. At least, that's what she hoped. 

When she looked back out over the railing, he was gone. 

          "Jesse?" She hesitantly called, hoping she wasn't taking it too far by using his first name when they had clearly been on a last-name basis. 

There was a noise and then lots of cursing. She followed the string of profanities to a cherry red Camaro, circa 1983. "I should have known."

He crawled from under the vintage car and tried to play it cool. "What?"

Sage smirked. "That you'd been under the car of your dreams. My, my, but you move fast."

His father hadn't raised him a fool and he knew an innuendo when he heard one. "My reputation precedes me."

          "No," she replied, shaking her head slowly, and the twists he'd so admired earlier that morning swung back and forth. Her eyes were sparkling as she leaned forward, "I just know a car lover when I see one." Seconds later, her thumb touched his cheek and rubbed back and forth slowly. 

Jesse's eyebrows rose. "If I had known this was what you wanted all along… I knew a few other places we could be right now than an old garage."

Even as her eyes flashed at his calling her new haven 'an old garage,' she laughed softly and flipped her thumb up, revealing black smudge marks. "Down, boy. I was just doing you a favor."  

          "Sure you were," he mocked, and motioned for her to lead the way out. 

She gave him a curious look and cocked her head to one side. "You ready? Or did you want to spend some more time with her?"

          "I," he said, as they headed back for his car, "would rather spend time with someone else entirely."

Sage grinned and tossed her bag in the backseat. "Sure you would."

* * *

          "Mr. Raines?"

Memphis looked up to see the bright features of his secretary. "What is it, Colleen?" She was absurdly happy and he hated it.

She stepped into the office. "You have another call from Ms. Nichols." She handed him a pink message slip. It said that she'd called more than several times this week. He gave her an impatient look. Her smile faltered. "Oh, and your brother and Mr. Tummel have not checked in for work today."

          "Great," he sighed. "Thanks."

Colleen took that as her cue to go and Memphis allowed himself the liberty of leaning back into his chair enough to close his eyes. It wasn't that he'd expected Kip to show today, because he'd seen the look in his eyes last night, but with Sage and her new hairstyle, and the neediness of this English teacher… 

He sat up abruptly and reached for his coffee. Aside from a few more papers to go over, he was done with work. And other than her strange behavior yesterday, he still had a car to get for his daughter. Some inquiries had been made and there was a cranberry colored VW Bug waiting at the nearest dealer. It had already been paid for and though he didn't like the idea of Sage's first car being brand new, he wasn't exactly the man to deprive her of the latest model.

Memphis figured if he left now, he had enough time to pick up the car and go place the stuffed animal in the passenger's seat. She'd be happy to see it, even if she tried to be embarrassed, and maybe they could even do something father-daughtery after, like driving it around town. He missed her, missed the easy love she'd given him when she was little and if he had to get it back by purchasing things for her – at least enough to get her foot in the door – then he would do it. 

* * * 

          "No," Sage sucked on her straw nosily. "I still say the girl was the best character. She kicked their butts!"

Jesse took his eyes off the road and gave her a 'come on, get real' look. "Sage. Her boobs were digitally enhanced for every shot. And _no woman_ can do the things she did with her body."

          "It wasn't about her _body_, you dork!" She slammed the big cup down playfully. "It was about her relationship with her father, and that just when she had a chance to get him back, she had to let him go for the safety of the planet!"

He smiled slightly and took a right off the freeway. "Where do I go from here?"

          "Um, right down the next two streets. It's the third house down." Then she caught sight of his smile. "Hey. Why are you smiling like that?"

          "No reason." Her eyebrow rose. She looked adorable. The twists had sort of unraveled somewhere between the car ride from the old garage and the movies and were resting in slight waves on her shoulders, while her eyes were shining as she waited for his answer. He gave in. "It's just that," he took the turn as she gestured, "Out of all the things to appeal to you in the movie – the car, the motorcycle, the ancient prophecy – you picked up on the father-daughter relationship."

          "So?"

There was a bright maroon Bug resting at the curb outside the house she'd claimed was hers. Judging from the look her on face as she stared at him, she hadn't seen it. They got closer and he saw a big bow around the car. "Maybe little miss tough girl isn't as tough as she'd like everyone to believe." He suggested gently.

Her eyes flashed as she looked out the windshield to gather her thoughts before glance back at him. "I am not—" Sage stopped speaking as he pulled up to the new car. "Oh my god." 

He unlocked the doors and turned the car off as she hopped out and ran her hand over the hood. Then she suddenly dove over the driver's side door and he couldn't see her anymore. "Sage?"

When his voice was echoed by another's he turned to look back at the house. A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes were coming down the driveway. _So this is the man she hates so much_…

She popped up on the other side, clutching something to her tightly. "Dad!" Her eyes widened and she turned back to Jesse, who was leaning against his car with that amused grin he always seemed to be wearing. She climbed out of the car and headed for the trunk, tossing the stuffed car in. When she'd seen it before, the first thought was that of mortal embarrassment. The last thing she needed was for Jesse to go telling the entire football team that she had a stuffed animal. And then, like a mirage, her dad had appeared. 

Instinct forced her back towards Jesse. "Don't speak too much and you'll get out of this one alive," she mumbled out of the side of her mouth. 

Memphis made his way over to them, seeing how his daughter stood defiantly next to the dark-skinned young man. There was something familiar about him…

          "Sage? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Dad, this is Jesse. Jesse; my dad."

Ever the perfect gentleman, Jesse reached forward and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Memphis took in the strong grip and looked directly into his eyes. "Same here, Mr…?"  
  


          "Castleback."

He dropped the hand suddenly. Jesse cast Sage a wary look and she shrugged. "Sage, let's go. We need to discuss a few things about the use of your new car."

Sage glared at her father. "I'll be right in."

Memphis realized he'd make more of a faux pas if he stayed, so he turned on his heel and went back into the house.

          "Sorry about that," Sage said, looking up at him. "I have no idea what's gotten into him."

He did. But it wasn't his place to say anything just yet. Besides. It could all just be some 'You're not good enough for my daughter' thing. "I'm sure he's just tired from work."

She looked bewildered. "Yeah. Something like that."

Jesse stuck his hands in his pockets. "So, you don't seem too excited for someone who just got a new car." 

She looked past him, down the street, and sighed. "I am. It's just that—" 

          "—What?"

          "This is probably going to make me sound spoiled, but I always imagined my first car being… different."

He read between the lines and inferred, "You mean faster."

Her lips curved up into a full smile. "You spend a day with someone and suddenly they know everything about you."

More like you spend a day with Sage and find out that her number one passion in life was cars, preferably fast ones. The way she'd been pushing him all day had nearly gotten him a speeding ticket; but it had been fun as hell and well worth seeing the smile on her face.

She closed her eyes briefly and then looked back at the house. "I guess I should go in and see what his problem is."

Jesse nodded slowly. "What time should I pick you up for school tomorrow?"

Abruptly, her gaze swung back to his. "Who said I needed a ride?" He sent her a mild look. She relented and he saw a bit of her shell fade away. "You don't have to—"

He held up a hand. "Time?"

She grumbled. "I guess 6:45 is okay."

He grinned widely and kissed her on forehead. "Make sure you're awake."

While she stood there, speechless, he got back into his car and revved the engine. "And Sage?" She glanced at him. "You can drive this car all you want."

She shook her head and laughed all the way inside. 

* * * 

Memphis studied his daughter as she entered the house. She was smiling. She looked happy. And while he would like to think it was because of the car, he knew better. The Castleback boy had done it to her. He now knew why the boy had seemed so familiar. 

Sage got the last trace of laughter out of her system and regarded her father coolly. "I've got a history test tomorrow, so I was about to head up…" she remembered Jesse's knowing look while they were discussing the movie and decided it was worth a shot. "But if you wanted to go for a spin in my spankin' new car, I could probably swing it."

He looked up at her, gauging her reaction. It seemed genuine enough. "Sure," he got up from the table and placed his cup in the sink. "Let's go."

She scooped up the keys resting on the counter and paused at the door. "And Dad?" He looked at her. "He's off-limits for discussion."

Memphis inwardly groaned but dutifully nodded and braced himself for the ride of his life. 

* * *

Kip stared into his mug. The one thing that coffee had going for it was that you couldn't see your reflection in the liquid when you looked down into it. Well, unless Mirror made it, and then you were dead anyway, so who cared if you were hallucinating because he'd spilled some gasoline into it. 

But this coffee was black, and strong, just the way Sphinx liked it. It was now Sphinx's rotation on Operation 'Clean-Up-the-Older-(but not wiser)-'New School',' and Kip found himself looking forward to the next few hours, as it meant coffee that would sober him up in a heartbeat. 

He was alone in the small kitchenette – Tumbler having stumbled in for a glass of water and leaving just as awkwardly seconds later – which he appreciated, as it gave him time to think things over. The main question on everyone's mind right now was whether or not he and Tumbler were going to leave Memphis and Sage to come back to the garage. Otto had let them know that they were more than welcome to, and judging by the keg party they'd had last night, there weren't any personality complaints. 

Oh sure, Toby still snored when he slept on his back, and Mirror talked in his sleep, but it was a small price to pay for the kinship they felt at being reunited. The crick in his back from the sleeping back on the hard concrete floor however, wasn't. He arched forward and listened to the cracks appreciatively, sipping his coffee once more. 

Tumbler wanted to stay. He saw it in his best friend's eyes. He knew home when he saw it, and even though he'd been more than family with the Raines – and it could quite possibly be a last name/sharing the same DNA thing – there were times when he didn't fit in with the other three. Here, Tumbler fit in just fine, and it was all too easy to fall back into their younger patterns. 

But 17 years had come and gone since they'd last been all together like this. And there were 17 years of possible differences between them. Kip wasn't sure if he was going to stay, but he suspected that Tumbler had already made plans to move his stuff in the spare room until he could find an apartment to rent. The other three guys would be all too happy to stay with him, providing they could find a four-bedroom condo or house of some sort.

The other concern, of course, was Sage. 

Kip never thought he could put someone else's needs before his own until she'd come into his life. And while he'd resented it in the beginning, thinking of how his actions would affect her was now second nature to him. She might view his leaving as abandonment. He wasn't a psychologist, but he knew her pretty well, and she had abandonment issues. Her mother had left her, her father barely spoke two words to her; he and Tumbler were all she had, and if they left, she'd be pretty much on her own. She might even run away, because there was no one to play buffer in her relationship with Memphis. 

Naturally, this was not what Kip wanted to be dwelling on at seven o'clock in the evening, while nursing a particularly awful hangover. But it was on his mind and he very rarely had time to let his thoughts run rampant. It was a concern of his and one that he'd been nursing for some time, as the thought of breaking apart from his brother had been tossed around back in Manhattan. 

The real question on Kip's mind was just who, exactly, had driven his niece to this very same garage today. It would have to be someone who'd earned her trust, because it certainly wouldn't have been Memphis, and he couldn't remember her talking about anyone in the past week or two.

Her bag was gone, and no note had been left in its place. 

Which didn't make for a murder case, but he had a bad feeling about it. 

In fact, to channel Han Solo – the greatest action figure of all time – he had "a very bad feeling about this."

It was like something in the air had changed. 

That, and last night he dreamed that Sage had been boosting the cars for Long Beach's most wanted. 

Kip sighed, shoved the image out of his head, and rinsed his empty mug at the sink. It was getting dark out. Time for bed. He could always push off the decisions and mind-numbing thoughts for another day. 

That was, after all, what he usually did.

* * *

Well. That's chapter 6. These chapters seem to be getting longer and longer, don't they? While the chapter was sort of filler, it was necessary to the plot. You start to see Memphis making an effort to know daughter, Kip deals with the should-I-stay-or-should-I-go-now dilemma, and of course, there's the lovely Sage-Jesse interaction. 

The only downer to the real chapter was the Ward counselor. What *exactly* did she ask Sage? And why? Hmmm. The plot thickens. 

REVIEW AND MAKE THIS STORY WORTH WRITING!!!

And I realize Kip was a little strange in this chapter, but I always thought he could be a really smart person, and just assumed that he was brain-fried in the movie. The traveling has been good for him, okay?!


	8. Chapter 7

Life is Like A Bowl Of Cherries | Chapter 7  
  
- - - - -  
  
"So how did it go last night?"  
  
Sage wordlessly turned to him. Then she looked back out the window.  
  
"Ouch. That good, huh?"  
  
Sighing heavily, she reached down into her bag and scribbled on a piece of paper. She then handed it to him and closed her eyes.  
  
'Tired. Stop. Talking. Please.'  
  
He grinned and drove the rest of the way in silence.  
  
* * *  
  
Sage woke up to the rich scent of coffee. She opened her eyes and nearly jumped out of her skin.  
  
There was a giant cup hovering in front of her face. She blinked and followed the hand connected to the cup.  
  
"Wake up, Sleepyhead."  
  
Jesse was crouched beside her, eyes dancing as he smiled widely. She couldn't stop from replying in turn as she gratefully accepted the caffeine.  
  
"How long was I out for?"  
  
"About twenty minutes," he replied, watching as her brain woke up. It was almost as if clouds literally cleared from her eyes and he swore he could see the gears turning as she thought. "We've got 10 minutes before homeroom. Thought I'd jumpstart your morning a bit. Plus-I'm bribing you."  
  
"Oh?" A wisp of a smile played on her lips as she drank.  
  
For the first time all morning, he took his gaze off her. Sage would remember it later as one of the few times she'd ever seen his confidence falter. "Sage. I don't want to pressure you into anything. And I don't want you to feel obligated to be with me."  
  
Her brow rose. "Castleback, where are you going with this?"  
  
"Why don't you call me Jesse?" He asked abruptly, avoiding her question and just as skillfully asking one of his own.  
  
Sage blinked. "I don't know. You always call me Raines."  
  
He slowly shook his head. "Not anymore."  
  
Inwardly taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand to his cheek and locked directly in his eyes. "Jesse." A tiny grin appeared on his lips and she felt his cheek move under her hand. "What do you want form me?"  
  
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. She waited for him to make a move; to step forward or pull back.  
  
"Yo, Castle-back!"  
  
Startled, Sage jumped slightly and would have pulled away, if he hadn't been holding her hand in place. "Don't move," he ordered, his voice distractingly low, sending shivers down her back. She felt like there was a ten-ton weight on her chest as he ignored his friend and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The ball, Sage," he finally moved to stand up, pulling her out of the car, "is in your court."  
  
Sage leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed the precise place her hand had been moments earlier. "I'll see you in English. Go talked to your friend."  
  
Jesse watched her walk away with an inner confidence he noticed from the first day she'd walked in the door. Sage Raines didn't know it just yet, but they were a very dangerous combination.  
  
* * *  
  
Sage didn't allow her muscles to unclench until she was safe inside the girls' bathroom. It was the one place Jesse couldn't follow her. Hopefully.  
  
Though, judging from the present set of girls making more use than necessary of the mirrors, they probably wouldn't object too much.  
  
Needing to blend in so as not to further rouse their suspicious, Sage leaned forward and examined her eyes in the mirror. They looked weary, lacking the familiar silver luster she'd grown accustomed to over the course of the past 16 years, and she sighed. How had she gone from being happily adrift, passing her classes, content to write her essays and be quietly ignored, to this?  
  
This was scary. Everything had changed, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Here, she wanted to not only excel in her classes, but participate all the time. Speaking up would have been unheard of two months ago-but here. Of course, it didn't hurt that Jesse was in nearly all of her classes. She found that she met his eyes more often than not, that the comfort level between them was undeniably present and equally unexplainable, but that she really wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
She was very, very close to falling in love with him.  
  
And Sage Raines didn't let anyone into her heart without a fight.  
  
* * *  
  
English was, surprisingly uneventful. She watched from her seat as Jesse walked in the door and immediately locked eyes. He winked and took his seat behind her. All throughout the class, she could feel his eyes burning into her, but it wasn't until Ms. Nichols was handing out the homework that she could look back at him.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
He shrugged. "Nothing."  
  
Her brow arched and the look she gave him was priceless.  
  
"Tell you after class." She sensed he wasn't yet finished and was proved right when he tapped her nose and added, "Turn around."  
  
Sage rolled her eyes and tried to focus until the end of the period. She was all but ready to jump out of her skin when she heard her name being called.  
  
Ms. Nichols was looking at her expectantly. An elbow jabbed into her from behind.  
  
"Um, yes?"  
  
A smirk seemed to wavering on their teacher's lips. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Sage nodded and headed to the desk, Jesse trailed not far behind. The smirk grew full-fledged when Ms. Nichols noticed his actions. "Alone," she added, giving her student a reproving look.  
  
He took the hint, grabbed the books out of her arms and headed out the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The older woman rose from her chair. "I have a conference scheduled at the end of the week with your father," she kept her eyes on Sage's face, "apparently, our secretaries have gotten to know each other quite well by now."  
  
Sage nodded distractedly. "Right." Then she realized her teacher was waiting for a reply. "Oh-so, right, secretaries. I didn't know teachers got their own secretaries."  
  
The brunette gave her an odd look. "I just want to stress upon you the importance of this conference. Your dad needs to be there. Given his track record-"  
  
Sage snapped to attention. "-Whoa! What do you mean, his track record? What are you talking about?"  
  
Ms. Nichols looked taken aback at her sudden vehemence. "The past few times I've tried to get in touch with him," she spoke slowly, her brows raised in warning, "he has neglected to return the message."  
  
The teen shook her head slightly. "No. He got the message. He just doesn't care." Fleetingly, she thought of her car, and the brief time they'd spent last night, but angrily brushed it aside. "With all due respect, Ms. Nichols, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't be shocked if my father doesn't show on Friday. I won't."  
  
She'd had enough experience reading difficult students before Sage, but there were times when it seemed the young woman had all the personality and emotion of a black hole. Obviously, the relationship between father and daughter was strained, but she had no idea it was quite so troubled. And it appeared that only Sage was the one allowed to criticize her father. Heaven help the next one who spoke badly of Randall Raines. She might not acknowledge it, but there was no one on earth Sage loved more than her father.  
  
She glared defiantly back at her and probably would have continued glaring if a slight buzz hadn't startled them both out of their standoff. Sage let one more venomous look at her before retrieving her cell phone.  
  
'Hey. What's going on? Chem's lonely w/o you. J.'  
  
Ms. Nichols watched as Sage's entire face transformed at what appeared to be a text message from someone important.  
  
"How did he get this number?" she whispered under her breath, staring at her phone incredulously, halfheartedly returning her attention to her teacher.  
  
"Someone important?"  
  
As if she had personally commanded it, she watched as Sage's defensive walls went up. "Doesn't matter. Are we through? I'm going to be late for Chemistry and my partner-" a brief smile broke through of its own accord, "- doesn't take very legible notes." 'If he takes them at all,' she thought sarcastically.  
  
They both knew that her disrespectful attitude and demeanor was enough to get written up-not to mention, having a phone on during school hours was against school policy.  
  
'At least she's got guts.' An almost devious smile appeared on Ms. Nichols lips. "Tell you what, Sage. You come with me, and I won't write you up for you behavior and that phone. I'm sure Mr. Castleback will manage in Chemistry without you."  
  
Sage's jaw dropped slightly, though whether from correctly guessing the mystery caller's identity or the fact that she wasn't getting written up, she wasn't sure.  
  
She tried to regain her composure. "Where?"  
  
"Does it matter? You're getting out of class. With a *teacher*. It's considered excused." She gave her a bland look, "Unless you'd prefer spending this Friday in detention?"  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Try me." Her dark eyes glittered and Sage decided she didn't want to push the issue any further.  
  
That didn't stop her from making one last attempt at escape, though. "What is it with people and wanting me to go places with them? Do I have 'kidnap me' written on my forehead?"  
  
Ms. Nichols unexpectedly stopped in the process of locking the classroom door. "What do you mean?"  
  
There was a look in her eyes Sage couldn't identify, and wasn't sure she wanted to. "It's nothing. Really." It was eerie, the way this woman's eyes bore into her and made her want to blurt out what had happened the past few days.  
  
Saving her-or damning her, depending on your point of view-was the timely arrival of a certain guidance counselor.  
  
"Ms. Raines. Astraea. What have we here?"  
  
The two turned to look at Ms. Ward and she was momentarily taken aback by the matching expression on their faces.  
  
"None of your concern, *Sarah*," and Sage was shocked at the malice in her teacher's voice, "so why don't you stay out of matters that don't concern you."  
  
The counselor's lips twisted. "Whatever you say. Does Ms. Raines' father know you're pulling her out of class so unexpectedly?"  
  
"Of course he does," she confidently replied, sneaking a glance at Sage, willing her to agree. "I always run my plans by him first."  
  
"Always?" Her tone of voice made the hair stand up on the back of Sage's neck.  
  
Ms. Nichols stiffened and replied in a dangerously low voice, "*Always*."  
  
The blonde sniffed disdainfully as if she'd suddenly became aware that it was two against one. "Please be careful with Ms. Raines. She has a test in Trig that I'm sure she won't want to miss."  
  
The cold fire in Sage's eyes was unmistakable as she stepped in between the two teachers. "I don't know what your deal is with my father, or why you suddenly know everything about me, but I am going to ask you-nicely-to *back the hell off*. This behavior crosses the line of guidance counselor and fits very nicely into *stalker*. I would appreciate if you kept your opinions to yourself and bring any issues you have with my dad to him personally. I'm sure he'd love to meet you."  
  
Ms. Ward paled. "That won't be necessary. I apologize for freaking you out."  
  
"Accepted. If you'll excuse us?" Sage brushed past her counselor and out the door, automatically heading for the teacher lot. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she stopped and turned to look into the eyes of her companion. Before she could speak, Sage held up her hand. "I don't know what the hell that was, but you had better do some explaining and fast-because Ms. Ward wasn't the only one crossing the line back there." She bit her lip to keep from grinning, "Astraea."  
  
She acknowledged the name with a nod. "Let's get something to eat first. All this cat-fighting had made me hungry."  
  
When they stopped in front of a black Ferrari convertible, Sage's jaw dropped for the second time that day. "Ms. Nichols, you're kidding."  
  
She shook her head and tossed the keys to her. "It's Rae, and get in."  
  
* * *  
  
They ended up at an outdoor bistro just past main street. After ordering lunch-at Rae's persistence-Sage twirled a breadstick while looking at her companion, waiting for her to start talking.  
  
"Can I just say one thing first?" Sage nodded. "Do you know what you're getting into with Jesse Castleback? Because while I think he's got a good heart-I'm not so sure the two of you is one of his better ideas."  
  
"What makes you think it was his idea?" Sage asked dryly.  
  
"Because I've known him longer than I've known you-but you remind me a lot like myself when I was younger. Tall, dark and handsome isn't always a picnic."  
  
Sage sighed and leaned back in the wicker chair. "I just want you to know this whole situation is weird. I don't normally allow myself to snap at two adults, much less one who wants to take me out to lunch. That having been said. I don't know what's going on with Jesse. Do I think he's cute? No. He is quite possibly the most handsome boy I've ever met-and charismatic to boot. But he's a football player. Granted, he's got brains, and while that's unheard of, he seems to be yet another person taking an interest in me, which leads me to believe-"  
  
"-you're doing something wrong." Rae finished for her, trying not to smile at her young guest. "I told you that you remind me of myself. I'm going to take a wild guess here, but-judging from what I gathered from your transcripts-you got your work done, hung out with the wrong crowd to dispel any bit of a 'good girl' image, and when you got a little too 'bad girl' for comfort, you backed off. Or, in this case, moved to Long Beach." She leaned on the table and tilted her head. "Am I right?"  
  
Sage nodded mutely.  
  
Rae grinned, tucked back some of her dark hair. "Thought so. Before I scare you *completely* away, let's get into those explanations, okay?"  
  
The server interrupted briefly to set down their salads and while Sage dug into hers, Rae used the opportunity to speak without interruption.  
  
"What you witnessed back at school was a mutual dislike Sarah-Ms. Ward-and I have for each other. Why she's suddenly obsessed with you and your father, I don't know. What I *do* know is that she's hated me from the first day I came to work here, and I don't know why."  
  
"Maybe you look like someone she didn't like." At her arched look, Sage added, "What? Trust me, it's more feasible than you think. Really."  
  
"You want to talk about it?"  
  
The teen shook her head once. "Not now. Maybe after you're finished explaining."  
  
Rae rolled her eyes. "Okay, so, Sarah? She hates me. We've got that. I pulled you out of school because you looked like you needed a break and while I bet that if I hadn't done it, Jesse would have-he's part of the problem, isn't he?" Sage nodded. "Thought so. Besides. You didn't really want to take a trig test, did you?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Ah. Sleeping Beauty awakens."  
  
Kip looked up at his best friend and scowled. "Shut up, Tumbler. Where's Otto?"  
  
"Like I'm going to tell you." He must have read something in Kip's eyes, for he hastily added, "in his office."  
  
Kip snagged a mug of coffee-and winced. 'Note to self: Never let Mirror near a coffeepot again.' He leaned in the doorframe of the office, letting his gaze wander the shelves.  
  
"You look upset." Otto noted, pushing aside the papers on his desk and motioning for Kip to come in and close the door behind him.  
  
"Well, maybe that's because I am." He daringly sipped again at the coffee and somehow resisted spitting it back out. The effort must have shown on his face, though, for the next thing he knew, he was sitting with a fresh mug of Otto's coffee, in the chair reserved for potential clients.  
  
The older man watched him carefully. "So. What brings you to my office? Shouldn't you be gallivanting about with that old gang of yours?"  
  
Kip shook his head, setting down his mug. "That's part of the problem. Sage was here yesterday, wasn't she?" Otto nodded silently. "Who was she with?" When Otto didn't answer right away, Kip pressed, "She didn't come by herself. Who did she come with?"  
  
After a long period of silence, during which Kip was hard-pressed to not say anything, Otto finally evasively answered, "I had Toby do a plate- check."  
  
Which, given his skill with a computer, and the many years he'd had to sharpen those skills, should have been a cake job. Even so, Kip couldn't keep from asking, "And?"  
  
"The car was registered to a Jesse Castleback."  
  
He let loose a long string of curses so strident that had Donny, who was passing by, raise a brow and stop in his tracks. Otto waved him on and continued to wait out Kip's foul language. When he stopped, apparently running out of options, he looked utterly defeated.  
  
"How does my niece wind up getting involved with a Castleback?"  
  
Otto examined his paperwork. "I'm sure the good detective is asking his son the very same thing."  
  
* * *  
  
Roland Castleback was not, as a matter of fact, asking his son what he was doing with a Raines.  
  
"Why did Robbie pull me over yesterday after lunch and tell my that my son was speeding down the freeway at precisely 1:47 PM, when my son was supposedly in school, in the middle of a chemistry lab?"  
  
Jesse stared at his father, gauging how much truth to let slip in the whopper of a lie he was about to tell. "Dad. A friend of mine was. sick. And I had to get them away from school before something bad happened."  
  
Whether from being a cop for over three decades, or knowing his son as well as he did, Roland Castleback picked up on two things in his son's statement. The use of a non-descriptive pronoun and the evasive end to the answer. "This friend. Is it a girl, by any chance?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
His eyes pinned Jesse down. "And what kind of trouble was she in?"  
  
"She wasn't in trouble!" Jesse protested a little too strongly. "Or, at least, I got her out of there before she could be." When he noticed that he didn't look very convinced, he added, "Look, Dad. She's. important to me. And she wasn't having a very good day."  
  
"You know that doesn't excuse the speeding. I don't care who she is."  
  
'You would if you knew who her father was.' Jesse thought, immediately banishing the thought from his mind before his dad decided to give him an impromptu lie test.  
  
"Jesse. Are we clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Castleback rolled his shoulders and exhaled loudly. "Good. Now do you want to tell me why I was called to the principal's office?"  
  
* * *  
  
Lunch had been fun, and when Sage looked at her watch, she was more than certain she'd missed her trig quiz; and that Rae had planned it that way. It was weird to think of her favorite teacher as 'Rae,' weirder still to replay the morning's events in her mind. Sage though that she was probably the only girl in California who could honestly say she had two teachers and a quarterback vying for her attention.  
  
Speaking of the quarterback, she looked down at her phone and groaned.  
  
"What's wrong?" Rae asked, taking her eyes off the road briefly.  
  
"Jesse. left me a few messages."  
  
"Oh." If more amusement could have been injected into that single word, Sage would have been surprised.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Rae snatched the phone out of her hands and kept her knee on the wheel, steering with such precision it momentarily left Sage speechless. "Holy crap! You have 19 missed calls and 16 new text messages!" She whistled admiringly. "I'll say this for him; that boy is nothing if not persistent."  
  
Sage grabbed the wheel before she steered them right into a ditch. "Watch the road! You're going to get us killed, here!"  
  
She kept the phone out of reach but did allow her right hand to regain its position on the wheel. "So. Are you and Castleback an item?"  
  
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the headrest defeatedly. "My god, you don't let it go."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Sage then remembered she was driving in a very fast car with a woman who preferred a 'Look, ma! No hands!" approach. Her eyes flew open.  
  
"Hey, wait. These aren't all from him. You've got a number of calls from someone else."  
  
She grabbed the phone back. "Great. My dad. And my day is officially complete."  
  
"Your dad called? Give me that-I'm going to make sure he's coming on Friday."  
  
"You are really obsessed about this conference, you know that?"  
  
A pause. "Well. I don't have many students who come in halfway through the year, manage to keep a stellar GPA, single-handedly catch the eye of who is probably the most desired boy in the school, and disrespect two teachers within a five-minute period. I'd say that's quite a string of accomplishments."  
  
When Sage didn't reply for a long time, Rae thought she'd gone too far.  
  
"You forgot the phone. I'm not supposed to have a phone on in school."  
  
They shared a glance briefly and started laughing.  
  
* * *  
  
"Sarah?"  
  
The blonde looked up from her computer screen.  
  
The short secretary--she had personally nicknamed her Glenda--was expectantly waiting at the door.  
  
"Yes? What is it?"  
  
"I have Mr. Raines on line one for you."  
  
An evil grin curved her lips. "Thank you." She reached for her phone and depressed the hold button. "Mr. Raines? It's Sarah Ward, Sage's guidance counselor. Good, how you are? Oh no, Sage's fine. I just wanted to know if you were aware of her frequent outings with Astraea Nichols. Ms. Nichols is her English teacher. Yes, I do believe you have a conference with her this Friday." She paused and the light in her blue eyes grew chilly. "Certainly. I'd love to be there."  
  
* * *  
  
He nearly launched himself off the bed when the phone rang. "Hello?"  
  
"Jesse?"  
  
"Oh, thank god, Sage. I thought you were dead."  
  
A dry silence greeted him on the other end.  
  
He tried again. "You still there?"  
  
"Mmm hmm." She was clearly trying to keep a cool demeanor.  
  
Jesse decided he would shock her. "Hey Sage?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
He bit back a grin and hoped he could keep his facts straight. "Today, after I was talking to my friend, we wanted to know who had left lipstick marks all over my cheek." He ignored her gasp of outrage and continued, "so instead of trashing your reputation, I just. told him you were my girlfriend."  
  
"You *what*?"  
  
"Which, I suppose, isn't really a lie, because you *are* a girl-- least you were last time *I* checked--and we are. technically speaking, friends."  
  
He heard her sigh clearly filtering over the phone lines. "Castleback?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You are *so* dead."  
  
"See you up at quarter to seven."  
  
* * *  
  
She replaced the phone with a lingering smile, running the day's events through her mind. All in all, it hadn't gone bad. In fact, it could have been worse. Much worse. Her dad hadn't been home when she'd finally gotten in--Rae had dropped her off--and so she'd pretty much retreated to her room until it occurred to her that she would probably call Jesse. In some ways, their relationship was kind of weird. She would have had to be blind not to see his overprotective attitude, and while it would have normally annoyed her, that yet another man in her life was trying to take care of her, she found it didn't bother her as much coming from him.  
  
And that probably should have sent up warning flags, but she didn't care.  
  
Something, however, wasn't sitting right with her. Some part of the day just felt. *off*. Again, she ran the day though her mind, trying to ascertain just what was unsettling her. Another six tries saw her collapsing on the pillow and admitting defeat. It wasn't until she woke out of a sound sleep well after everyone sane was asleep in their bed when she realized what had troubled her so much.  
  
When Ms. Ward had said 'Ms. Raines' in the hallway before, they had both turned to face her.  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter eight is going to be the conference and the party Jesse and Sage go to. Also, we're going to get to what Ms. Ward's been stirring up.  
  
Jeez. 10 pages? This is too much. I think I need to take a break or something. The story has taken a life of its own. 


End file.
